Pastor stabbed; saves man

A US pastor is being hailed as a hero after being stabbed as he attempted to rescue a 61-year-old man from a brutal attack.

Rev. Marcus Kaiser’s Sunday went differently than normal, after he was stabbed with a pair of small scissors on the campus of his own church. The rector of Church of the Holy Comforter in the town of Sumter, put his life on the line by stepping in to help a parishioner.

Rev Marcus had just finished distributing communion. His after-service routine was disrupted when he saw a person attack an elderly parishioner walking a dog by the downtown campus of Church of the Holy Comforter in South Carolina. When he tried to ease the situation, he, was stabbed on his right forearm.

The Sumter Police Department first heard from a man who was walking his dog. He told officers that a suspect approached him and began to follow him and his dog. The suspect then hit the 61-year-old in the head with an unknown object.

Rev Marcus witnessed the incident and attempted to both help the man and ask the attacker, “Are you OK?” because, to him, ‘a person would not hurt another for no reason’. The man then stabbed Rev Marcus. The pastor later said he and the other victim were “okay” and noted that he was “able to avoid most of the blows”.

Rev. Marcus was an officer in the Navy when he was called to the priesthood. He graduated from Nashotah House in the spring of 2009 and came directly to Holy Comforter with his wife and two sons. (He now has four sons.) He was installed as Rector on August 24, 2014.

The 31-year-old suspect has been arrested and charged with first-degree assault and battery, third-degree assault and battery, malicious injury to personal property and providing false information to police.