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[UPDATE-10/8] FBI Investigates Armed Men Barricading Congregation in Texas Church, Shots Fired

[UPDATE 10/8] – According to local reports, this story was investigated thoroughly and found to have been a hoax.

According to KXAN News, a local NBC affiliate, a 45 year old deacon at the church perpetrated the hoax.  And although the Pastor of the church reported that the man lost his daughter in a car accident a short time ago, the true motives for his actions are still under investigation.

A 45-year-old man was arrested after allegedly making a false report surrounding a Sunday incident at a church in Burnet, Burnet County Sheriff Calvin Boyd said during a media briefing on Monday.

Law enforcement arrested Jacob Wayne Tarver after he confessed to making up the story.

“There were no hostile actions taken or directed at the church by any persons, and no weapons brandished towards the church,” Boyd said. “At no time was the safety of the congregation in jeopardy.”

The sheriff called this a waste of resources.

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“We heard from, you know, from the state, from Austin,” Boyd said. “We even heard from the White House.”

Byrd said during the service, one of his associate ministers pulled him aside and said there was a situation outside but that he wasn’t sure what it was yet.

By the end of service, the news came to Byrd that there was an alleged attempt to harm their church.

“It seemed that there were plans being made to take action to harm our congregation,” Byrd said. “About that time, the law enforcement came in and corroborated that, and basically said, ‘Don’t leave until we give you some instructions.’”

Byrd then posted on his social media that their team “intercepted a team of jihadists seeking to enter our facility with a ‘large caliber rifle with a banana clip.’” He said that post has since been taken down.

“I reported what I was told, but I believed it, and it caused harm to our community, and we’re sorry for that, as much as we can be for what we knew,” Byrd said.

He mentioned Tarver lost his daughter in a car crash just a few months ago.

“I can’t help but think somewhere in there was some still, some grappling, some hurt over that,” Byrd said. “I don’t think that’s an excuse. But I think as we’re looking for answers, that has to be factored into why.”

The sheriff’s office is still investigating a motive. Byrd hopes to see Tarver soon to hear directly from him why this happened.

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Reports are emerging of a potential terror attack that may have been thwarted in Burnet County, Texas — northwest of Austin.  Details are sketchy at this time, though a BOLO has been issued and local authorities have been augmented by FBI assistance in the search for the individuals who are reported to have been stopped in the process of a possible terror attack.

Reports say that 2 dark-skinned Mideastern Men, armed with rifles and wearing “Jihadi” garb (robes and turban) were noticed by security at a church attempting to block entrances, allegedly trying to barricade the church members inside the building.

One of the armed security members of the church is reported to have fired at least 1 round, and both men fled northbound on Hwy 281 towards Lampasas, Texas.

According to a local Fox affiliate, Fox 7 in Austin, Sheriff deputies responded to “The Church at the Epicenter” in Burnet County, Texas as a result of a 911 call.

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Law enforcement is on high alert after two armed suspects fled from outside a Burnet County church on Sunday morning, heading north.

When deputies arrived, it “became clear” that shots had been fired, but that all of them came from someone with the church’s volunteer safety team, says BCSO.

The safety team member stated that he confronted two suspicious men outside the church, one of whom presented a rifle, says BCSO. The safety team member fired multiple rounds, causing both men to get in a white minivan and flee the scene, driving north on US 281.

No injuries have been reported at this time, according to BCSO.

BCSO says it is working with a number of state and federal agencies on the investigation into this incident.

Epicenter Church in Burnet issued the following statement:

Security personnel noticed a suspicious man moving near the cars in the parking lot. Upon closer inspection, the man was seen placing a rock near an exterior door, seemingly trying to block it from opening. When security confronted him, he ran toward a white van. At that moment, another individual, wearing a Muslim turban, exited the van armed with an AR-15 style rifle. In response, security opened fire on the armed man. The van then fled north in the direction of Lampasas.

The Burnet County Sheriff Department posted the following information to their Facebook account following the incident:

Several posts have been shared online showing the church and the surrounding area where the incident allegedly took place.

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The two men were reportedly wearing white or off-white head dresses and were armed with rifles, according to a story by Channel 2 Now:

The Burnet County Sheriff’s Office has issued a description of the suspects: two dark-skinned males in a white mini-van, wearing white or off-white head dresses, and armed with rifles.

According to the Burnet City Manager, a recent incident occurred in Burnet involving two armed men who fled north towards Lampasas.

The Sheriff’s Office is also requesting any camera footage from 3 a.m. to 11 a.m. of the area north of 2401 N US 281.

Out of an abundance of caution, the Lampasas Police Department immediately called in additional staff and supervision to patrol our city, specifically our churches. We have coordinated with other local law enforcement agencies to be on high alert and ready to deter or respond immediately to any incidents that might occur.

As of now, no related incidents have occurred in or around our city. The Lampasas Police Department will remain on high alert throughout the afternoon. There is nothing further to report at this time.

If you have information, you are urged to contact the Burnet County Sheriff’s Office at 512-756-8080.

The following “update” was posted by a Chaplain who I suspect may be associated with either the church or the Sheriff Department in Burnet County — but I am unable to verify that information at this time.

This is a developing story.  With recent national security warnings and terror alerts in mind, as well as the fact that tomorrow is the 1-year anniversary of the Oct 7 terror attack launched by Hamas in Israel, I will be searching for more information on this incident.  I will update this story if any new information becomes available.


 

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