A 40-year-old man attacked a priest during a church service in Spokane, Washington, according to officials.
The attacker was later arrested and remains in jail, according to Bishop Thomas A. Daly of Spokane, who witnessed the attack from just a few feet away.
Around 350 to 400 people had gathered at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Lourdes in downtown Spokane on Tuesday for the second night of novena, a tradition of gathering for prayer for nine days or nine weeks, when the man, identified as Joshua James Sommers, attacked the priest.
Bishop Daly was kneeling in prayer before a Marian grotto, but behind the vicar general and cathedral’s rector, Fr Darrin Connall, who was leading petitions. Kneeling behind both of them was Fr David Gaines, the cathedral’s parochial vicar and the object of the attack.
Security camera footage shows Sommers leaving his pew, rushing towards the altar near the end of the service, attempting to strike Fr David Gaines in the face.
As the man approached, Fr Gaines stood, and the man swung at him and fell down. In livestream video footage that captured the attack, Fr Gaines appeared to help him up, but the man continued to struggle against Fr Gaines. The priest “was very calm, and he kept saying to him, ‘You’ll be OK, you’ll be OK,’” Bishop Daly recalled in an interview with OSV News.
The bishop, a deacon and men from the congregation helped to subdue the attacker, who was then handcuffed by the cathedral’s security guard. Meanwhile, the man grunted, swore and yelled unintelligibly.
Security footage captured the moment as Fr Gaines quickly subdued Sommers, with church staff and attendees stepping in to assist.
Video of the incident shows Sommers screaming, while Fr Gaines remains calm, repeatedly telling him, “It’s OK, just calm down.”
Fr Darrin Connall, who was kneeling at the altar when the incident occurred, told ABC News the church has not seen “anything quite this serious.”
“All of us were pretty shaken,” Fr Connall admitted. “You don’t expect to see something like that when you’re gathering together to pray and worship.”
Despite the distressing event, Fr Connall said the congregation paused the service to pray for Sommers, expressing hope for his healing.
“Whatever demons he was struggling with needed to be healed,” he added.
Sommers was arrested on misdemeanour assault charges and remains in custody. Reports indicate that he has a history of violent behaviour.
In 2023, Sommers was charged with third-degree assault after attacking an employee at a mental health facility. Sommers, who was a patient at this facility, allegedly punched the employee multiple times and stole their keys to try and escape, according to the affidavit on those charges.
(Picture Courtesy: Our Lady of Lourdes Cathedral security footage)
