VIDEO: Disruption at Abbeville church ends with person in custody
Mass service was interrupted at St. Mary Magdalen Catholic Church in Abbeville while a man was taken into custody.
ABBEVILLE, La. (KLFY) – Mass service was interrupted at St. Mary Magdalen Catholic Church in Abbeville while a man was taken into custody.
Video from the church's website livestream shows priests ducking behind the table around 1 minute into the video. You can also hear the congregation being told to "just get a hold of your child and go slowly. We did apprehend a young man. He is in custody. He is in the police custody."
Bishop J. Douglas Deshotel released a statement about the incident.
“We are thankful to God that a tragedy was avoided at the First Communion Mass for the children of St. Mary Magdalen in Abbeville. The quick response of the Abbeville Police Department and alert parishioners is a great example of caring for the most vulnerable in our community. Let us pray for an end to all threats of violence to innocent human life.”
In addition to the statement, the Bishop also sent a message to the parishioners of St. Mary Magdalen Church.
"This morning, our First Communion ceremony was interrupted when a suspicious person opened the back door. The individual was immediately confronted by parishioners, escorted outside and the police were called. The individual was quickly apprehended by Abbeville Police Department and is in their custody. Once apprehended, law enforcement entered the church to make sure there was no additional danger. This understandably caused panic. While we realize this was a frightening experience for those in attendance, we are incredibly grateful to both parishioners and police officers for acting quickly to ensure the safety of all. Chief Mike Hardy is handling the investigation with cooperation of the Vermilion Parish Sheriff’s office and assistance from the FBI. Out of an abundance of caution, we will have uniformed law enforcement at all upcoming Masses. We invite First Communicants to receive First Holy Communion at whichever Mass they choose to attend this weekend. We are grateful for all the prayers for our St. Mary Magdalen community."
We are waiting for details from police and will update the story as soon as they become available.