ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. — "It started out as just another service," recalled Pastor Ernest Howard.
However, about 30 minutes after his wife and their Praise Team at Brothers And Sisters In Christ Fellowship Church started singing Sunday morning, gunshots rang out inside their sacred place in Bellefontaine Neighbors.
"I heard the gunshots. I was actually sitting on the keyboard and my wife was up getting ready to bring me to the stage to speak. At that point, I was not scared. I am a former department of corrections worker and a former security guard myself. I was in fight mode. I just wanted to do everything I could to protect everyone. My wife, our children and our grandchildren and of course our members," Howard said.
He immediately told about 30 screaming, scared church members to take cover because a gunman was feet away, outside their small sanctuary in a hallway.
"I told everybody to get down in the back behind chairs and stay down. We also hid children in a closet and told them to stay in a classroom," Howard said.
"I saw fear on everyone's face so that prompted me to get them calm, get the children to safety," said Tamika Bagby, who is an usher at the church.
During an exclusive interview Monday with 5 On Your Side's Robert Townsend, Howard said the armed man approached one of this security guards from behind, and within moments a shootout occurred in the hallway.
"Yeah, he said the guy pointed a gun to his head, threatened to kill him and at that point they began to tussle and then that's when the security guard was able to trade gunfire. The guy shot at him first. The man started visiting our church four months ago with his wife. She's actually a member here. Police initially said the suspect and security guard are relatives. Technically, I can tell you that the suspect and the guard's wife have a mutual cousin," Howard said.
Howard said when the gunfire finally stopped, the suspect ran down the hallway, bolted out of a back door and hopped in a car with his wife and two small children.
What's more, Howard says the couple left behind their 3-year-old and 15-year-old children.
The blessing?
"I am thankful that we all survived" Howard said.
"I'm also very thankful. By the grace of God, no one was hurt, " Bagby added.
Howard also said they will now increase security at their church.
Bellefontaine Neighbors police are still looking for the gunman.