Pastor tackled and disarmed man who brandished a gun at parishioners who were praying at the altar

A pastor and his parishioners tackled a gunman to the floor and disarmed while he disturbed them at prayer. 

Dezire Baganda, 26, had been sitting peacefully in Nashville Light Mission Pentecostal Church, Tennessee, for almost three hours when he walked to the altar and pulled a gun on churchgoers.

Pastor Ezekiel Ndikumana pretended to leave the church but instead snuck up behind the gunman and wrestled him to the ground.

Ndikumana, who uses a translator as he is a Burundian refugee who doesn’t speak English, said he was worried the gunman would try to kill his parishioners.

Attacker Dezire Baganda, 26, (left) had been sitting peacefully in the church for almost three hours when he walked to the altar and pulled a gun on churchgoers. Pastor Ezekiel Ndikumana (right) pretended to leave the church but instead snuck up behind the gunman and wrestled him to the ground

‘He wanted to kill that’s what first came to my mind,’ Ndikumana told News 2 as choir member Nzojibugami Noe translated for him.

‘He was standing in front of almost everybody.

‘No one was behind him yet, so he could have done anything.

‘I would say that God used me because I felt like I was going to use the back door as an example as going on by trying to go behind him.

‘And then I felt the feeling that I would go and grab him, and that’s what happened.

The attack happened on Sunday at around 12.45pm at Nashville Light Mission Pentecostal Church (pictured)

‘God wanted to show that he’s a powerful God.

‘One main thing I said, we had faith.’

The attack was caught on the church’s security camera and shows the pastor pretending to leave the room, walking behind Baganda before rushing him from behind and tackling him to the ground.

Baganda was not a church member but had been to services before and had caused disturbances in some of the sermons.

He came to Sunday’s service at 10am and remained quiet until his attack at around12.45pm.

Baganda was charged with 15 counts of felony aggravated assault and bond was set at $375,000 (£278,000).