A PASTOR may have stopped a shooting after he confronted a gunman who walked into his church during his sermon on senseless violence, and persuaded him to hand over his weapon.

    Larry Wright, a city councilman in Fayetteville, North Carolina, the U.S., was talking to his congregation about senseless killings on New Year’s Eve when a man walked in with a semi-automatic rifle and an ammo magazine.

    The retired Army sergeant first class, who runs Heal the Land Outreach Ministries, quickly realized the gun was real and walked over to him.

    The man, who appeared to be in his 20s, told the small congregation he had set out to do something terrible, but he had been urged to go to church.

    Wright, 57, said to him, “Can I help you?”

    Wright told the Fayetteville Observer he was ready to tackle the man to the floor, but the stranger appeared to be calm.

    The pastor then took the weapon from him, calmly patted him down then asked four deacons to comfort him.

    Wright then started praying for the man who had fallen to his knees and started crying.

    The unidentified man, who told Wright he had just been released from prison, was then asked to sit in the front pew. Wright carried on his service.

    At the end, the would-be gunman came forward and asked for salvation.

    The man was taken to Cape Fear Valley Medical Center at his request as a voluntary commitment, the Observer reported.

    Wright hopes to contact him again.

    He said, “I want to follow up with him and see that he’s getting the help and resources he needs.”(SD-Agencies)