A South San Francisco church, Saint Augustine Catholic Church, was struck by gunfire on Tuesday around 1:30 p.m.
Surveillance video showed that 18 shots were fired at the church on Callan Blvd. in broad daylight, per KTVU. Police said that luckily, no one was inside the church at the time, so no one was injured, but several windows apparently had bullet holes and its front doors were shattered.
Police immediately responded to the scene and launched a search for a male gunman in a dark-colored car, according to KNTV. They reportedly found and arrested a 22-year-old man, Debari Charvel Augustine from San Francisco, in connection with the shooting a few hours later.
Augustine faces charges including attempted murder on the first degree, shooting at an inhabited dwelling, and possession of an assault weapon, per KRON4. He’s currently booked in San Mateo County Jail.
The shooting prompted a lockdown at nearby Westborough Middle School. One student, eighth-grader Gyan Robles, told KTVU, “This feels so frightening, and like, I’m honestly shocked about how this happened … It feels like a hate crime."
St. Augustine’s cancelled its Wednesday mass and catechism classes for the rest of the week amid the police investigation. The South San Francisco Police Department is asking anyone with information to get in contact at 650-877-8900 or anonymously at [email protected].