Published on July 5, 2026 3:56 pm
Last Updated on July 5, 2026 3:58 pm
A suspect was injured during an incident Sunday morning at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Effingham.
Just before 9:30am, church security contacted Effingham Police Department to report a suspicious vehicle and suspicious man inside the church wishing to speak to the pastor. No church service was going on at the time.
The Effingham Police Department and the Effingham County Sheriff’s Office responded to the church, locating the man a short time later. The suspicious vehicle was reported stolen out of Marion County.
Officers from both agencies attempted to restrain the man. During the struggle, the man produced a firearm, which discharged, and the man was wounded. The man was taken for treatment, then was transported by helicopter to a regional hospital with life-threatening injuries. No one else was injured in the incident. The identity of the man has not been released.
Authorities are terming this an isolated incident, and say there is no known threat to the community.
