Cuba Gooding Jr. Says ‘We Need to Get Back to God’ After Man Pulls Gun on Pastor

Actor Cuba Gooding Jr. speaks onstage during the 5th Annual Reel Stories, Real Lives event benefiting MPTF at Milk Studios in Hollywood, Calif., on April 7, 2016. (Tommaso Boddi/Getty Images for Motion Picture & Television Fund)

Actor Cuba Gooding Jr. is urging the nation to “get back to God” after an armed North Braddock, Pennsylvania resident walked into a church on May 5 and attempted to shoot a pastor during a live-streamed service.

Cuba Gooding Jr. on the set of the filming of a promotional video for his forthcoming film, “The Firing Squad,” on May 5, 2024. (Keith Chu/Epoch Times)

The award-winning actor watched the video of the harrowing ordeal, which was widely circulated by the media, while on set filming a promotional video for his forthcoming film, “The Firing Squad,” set to premiere in theaters on Aug. 2.

“I just saw something disturbing,” the 56-year-old recounted in a video shared to a YouTube account for the film.

“A pastor was giving a ceremony in a church, and a man pulled a gun and pointed it at him and pulled the trigger. It didn’t fire—thank God—but where are we at? Where is our country at?” he queried.

“We need to get back to God,” Mr. Gooding Jr. continued. “We need our faith back. Believe.”

According to the Pennsylvania State Police, the attempted homicide transpired on the afternoon of May 5 at the Jesus Dwelling Place Church in North Braddock, a borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, located about 10 miles southeast of Pittsburgh.

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The suspect, Bernard Junior Polite, entered the church at approximately 1:09 p.m. “and attempted to shoot the pastor as he was giving a sermon,” per a state police statement shared with X, formerly Twitter. However, the 26-year-old’s gun failed to discharge.

“A congregation member took immediate action by grabbing onto Polite. The member and the pastor were able to subdue and disarm Polite. Polite was held until troopers arrived,” the statement continued.

The suspect was subsequently booked into the Allegheny County Jail and denied bail. According to court records, Mr. Polite is currently being represented by a public defender and is facing charges of criminal attempt of homicide, aggravated assault, and recklessly endangering another person.

Criminal Homicide Charge

On the evening of May 5, just hours after the attempted shooting, the Allegheny County Police Department was called to the home of Mr. Polite, where the body of the suspect’s cousin, 56-year-old Derek Polite, was found dead from an apparent gunshot wound.

During a news conference on May 7, Allegheny Police Superintendent Christopher Kearns said the shooting death occurred at approximately 10 a.m., prior to the incident at Jesus Dwelling Place Church.

“There’s no indication there was any kind of disturbance in the residence. We saw no evidence that there was any type of altercation,” he explained. “It appears the victim was shot as he was walking up the steps from the first floor to the second.”

Mr. Kearns indicated that Mr. Polite and the victim lived together. A motive for the killing was not immediately apparent, and Mr. Polite has been charged with one count of criminal homicide in connection to his cousin’s murder.

“We were able to bring this case to a quick resolution thanks to the cooperation from the community, assistance from the Pennsylvania State Police, and the criminalists on our medical examiners’ crime lab,” Mr. Kearns noted. “We are thankful to them.”

‘The Firing Squad’

Mr. Gooding Jr.’s upcoming film, “The Firing Squad,” produced by Epoch Studios, a branch of The Epoch Times Association, is centered on the riveting true story of three Christian prisoners facing execution in a third-world country.

The faith-based film, written and directed by filmmaker Tim Chey, best known for 2015’s “David and Goliath,” details the convicted criminals’ final days as they await execution in an Indonesian prison for their crimes. It explores the transformative power of faith and redemption as each prisoner finds salvation through Christ, sparking a spiritual revolution throughout the prison in the process.

Speaking with The Epoch Times’ sister media outlet NTD at the film’s preview screening, held on March 2 at Warner Bros. Studios in Los Angeles, California, Mr. Gooding Jr. contemplated the prisoners’ last moments as they faced impending death.

“What’s darker than the fact that you know you’re about to meet your maker? You know you’re about to end your life, and do you do it in fear? Do you do it in despair? Or do you give thanks for what you have and what has been given to you, and do you appreciate that moment,” he said.

In addition to Mr. Gooding Jr., the movie’s ensemble cast includes Kevin Sorbo, Eric Roberts, and breakout star James Barrington. Mr. Chey, who previously worked with Mr. Gooding Jr. on the 2014 film “Freedom,” reflected on the actor’s own spiritual awakening, sharing in a press release that he believes the “Radio” star is “a changed man.”

“He really recommitted his life to the Lord and was a different guy than the one who did my previous film a few years back,” Mr. Chey said.

“We all stand before a real God someday when we die,” he offered. “Jesus said if you don’t forgive others, you will not be forgiven in Matthew 6:15, so Cuba takes that seriously and has learned to forgive others and forgive himself. I love that the most about him.”

Mr. Sorbo, who also serves as an executive producer of “The Firing Squad,” shared in a YouTube video that he is “very, very proud” to be part of the film.

“This movie shows that no one, absolutely no one, is beyond redemption through the cross,” he said.