A Catholic church was desecrated on the Peninsula Tuesday and police tracked down and arrested the suspected gunman hours later.
Debari Charvel Augustine, 22, of San Francisco was taken into custody as a suspect in the shooting, South San Francisco police said early Wednesday.
The shooting happened at Saint Augustine Church in South San Francisco, blowing out windows. But fortunately, no one was hurt.
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A surveillance camera from a nearby home also caught the sound of 18 rapid fire shots around 1:30 p.m.
“It feels heartbreaking and frustrating just to hear those sounds because it’s really scary,” said Gyan Robles.
He was in class at Westborough Middle School just down the street, which he said immediately went into lockdown. Some students herded into the cafeteria.
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“Everyone was, like, actually frightened and scared,” he said. “A few people were actually serious about it and started running straight out to the MUR.”
South San Francisco police and officers from other jurisdictions swarmed the church property. Late Tuesday afternoon they released a brief statement which said in part, “No one was struck by the gunfire and the male suspect was seen fleeing the area.”
Police have not released a description of the gunman, or a vehicle. They’re asking anyone with information to call them.
A woman who lives nearby is shocked by the violence in her neighborhood. She did not want to be identied.
“A lot of people on the weekend go to this church and usually the area is very safe, I believe,” she said. “It is a shock right now after I know the news. I kind of worry about it.”
For Robles, the attack is far more personal.
“I’ve been to that church ever since I was born. I was baptized there. I did everything over there, so it's special for me,” he said. “Sadness, a little frustration because, what did the church ever do to you?”
As law enforcement searches for the gunman, the Archdiocese of San Francisco said that Wednesday’s mass at St. Augustine has been canceled and so have catechism classes for the rest of the week.
No injuries were reported.
