An ex-convict is behind bars after stabbing a volunteer at his own church following Sunday morning service.
Albuquerque Police say the male suspect stabbed a fellow church member once in the chest as he was walking up to greet him. Witnesses say no argument or fight preceded the incident.
The suspect was later identified as Jerome Johnson, 46. He’s charged with aggravated assault and battery with a deadly weapon and also three counts of child abuse because there were children who witnessed the event.
Members of The Church, a Christian congregation in Northwest Albuquerque New Mexico, say Johnson had been going to the church for many years but had been in prison for the last year and a half. They say he got out jail recently and had started attending service again.
Police located Johnson at a nearby park and arrested him. They also recovered a pocket knife believed to be the weapon that stabbed the victim. The victim, identified as William Santos, 47, is recovering in the hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
Could a properly trained Church Security Ministry Team have done anything to avoid this shameful tragedy? The answer is “yes.” Proper Church Security Training and awareness training could possibly have produced a different outcome. Since the suspect was just recently released from prison and he started attending church again, was there any counseling or reaching out to him to ascertain if there were still any issues? Was there a reason to be concerned for Jerome Johnson?
There is nothing worse than a wolf dressed in sheep’s clothing like this incident. If there were no pre incident indicators about Jerome Johnson and he just walked right up, pulled a knife and stabbed the greeter, then the last option at this point is self defense. Thankfully the greeter was not seriously injured and the suspect was apprehended later by Police.
But what if stabbing the greeter wasn’t enough and he had another axe to grind? Did Jerome Johnson feel wronged by the church in some way? What if Jerome Johnson continued into the church and caused more carnage. Was there any kind of security in place or awareness training for this kind of incident? Would anyone try to stop him from hurting others? Who would call the Police? Was there any medical personnel at the church? Apparently the answer right now is no. Week after week we see the same headlines all across America. Churches need to be proactive and become a stakeholder for their congregations. The head church administrators are obligated to protect their flock from the enemy, even if it’s from within. If your church does not have a Church Security Ministry Team in place, urge them to seek out security consultation to determine what their church’s vulnerabilities are.
If you have any questions about Church Security Training or Security Consulting for you, your superiors, your company, your church, or someone you know, feel free to call or email Gideon Protective Services, Inc. or Mind Sight Training for a free, confidential consultation. You can find us on the web. See all that Gideon and Mind Sight can offer you.
