Pa. gunman suspected of plotting mass shooting at black church gets turned away at door because it's too crowded

Mar 30, 2024

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A man with a shotgun was blocked from entering a Pennsylvania church filled with black worshippers because it was so packed Sunday — allegedly thwarting a possible planned mass shooting.

Jeffrey Harris, a 38-year-old white man from Ambridge, had a “handwritten script” for a shooting stashed in his home, which was also booby-trapped, and may have been plotting a horrific hate crime, authorities said.

He was arrested after allegedly pointing his weapon at two women when he failed to gain entry to the Greater Dominion Church on the corner of Melrose Avenue and 4th Street during services, WTAE reports.

When police later searched Harris’ home, they found the porch smeared with a lubricant and a hole drilled in the front door that would have allowed him to fire his gun at anyone who fell while trying to reach the entrance.

Harris, who was dressed in a camo vest when nabbed, “appeared ready for a standoff,” according to the criminal complaint, which also stated that a suspected explosive device was found in the home along with a notebook detailing active shootings.

Police said they believe the gunman could have been specifically targeting the house of worship in the African American community, “raising concern that the male was attempting to enter the church with a long gun to commit a hate crime.”

The church’s bishop, Kenneth Crumb, suggested his congregation was likely spared from a possible mass shooting because of how packed it was Sunday morning, which kept Harris from entering.

Had the gunman arrived earlier, the church might not have been so lucky, Crumb told the outlet.

“When you just think about how close we came to having the same kind of horrific situation that we had at the synagogue in Pittsburgh, it’s like the grace of God,” Crumb said, referring to the 2018 religious hate massacre at the Tree of Life that left 11 dead.

“Thank God for his grace, for his covering over us, because this could have been a total different way,” Crumb said.

Sunday’s frightening incident also occurred a day after a white gunman killed three black people in Jacksonville, Fla., in what police described as a “racially motivated” attack that occurred near a historically black college.

“There is a whole lot of mass murders going on, there is shootings, particularly in the African American community, people targeting our communities,” Crumb said.

Ambridge and Beaver County police said they received a call around 9 a.m. Sunday after Harris allegedly aimed his firearm at two women walking in the area.

An officer quickly tracked him down to a business building on the 300 block of Merchant Street, where Harris allegedly pointed his gun at the cop.

Once backup arrived, the police arrested Harris without incident, finding him with a 12-gauge shotgun, ammunition and crystal meth.

More drugs and ammunition, along with the notebook, were found in Harris’ home on Duss Avenue, which he shared with his boyfriend, police said.

The boyfriend, who has not been named, was not at the home, with neighbors reporting that he has not been seen in several days.

Police noted that Harris’ shotgun had been recently fired when they arrested him and that when he was taken to Ambridge police headquarters, he was making “multiple bizarre comments” about a dead brother.

Harris was charged with making terroristic threats, aggravated assault, attempted burglary and other felonies.

He is being held at the Beaver County Jail on $975,000 bail. His preliminary hearing is set for Sept. 5.

A representative for Harris could not be immediately reached for comment.