An armed man claiming to be “a prophet called Warlock” was detained at a Texas church after allegedly threatening to kill one of the pastors.
Emmanuel Ashono Mbwavi, 23, was arrested on March 15 following the incident at Eden Church in Houston. According to detectives, Mbwavi was speaking with his accused target, Pastor Jared Darby, when a security guard noticed the suspect grasping what seemed to be a revolver in his front pocket and attempting to draw it out.
The security guard, Fernando Romo, said he recognized Mbwavi from a previous incident at the church where he was supposedly throwing out “concerning fliers” and was asked to leave.
According to a complaint obtained by PEOPLE, Romo grew concerned on March 15 when he noticed Mbwavi carrying a backpack and appearing to conceal something on the right side of his body. Another pastor informed authorities that Mbwavi was denied access to the church earlier that day, but he returned with the handgun and rucksack.
Romo tackled Mbwavi, believing he was about to start fire. Romo claims Mbwavi then began counting down and struggling to press the screen of a cell phone in his grasp, prompting the security officer to assume he was about to ignite an explosive device. Romo was able to pull the phone from Mbwavi’s grasp.
According to the lawsuit, Mbwavi allegedly said, “I’m going to assassinate Jared, a bogus prophet. During the incident, I introduced myself as a prophet named Warlock. Investigators said they discovered a memo on Mbwavi’s phone that read, “Kill Jared Darby in downstairs restroom with bag.” It also included a license plate number and information about a vehicle thought to belong to Darby.
Police discovered a.22 caliber revolver loaded with six live rounds on Mbwavi, as well as approximately 100 rounds of ammo in his rucksack.
Mbwavi was arrested at the scene and charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
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