Detroit pastor de-escalates heated moment after man pulls out gun during funeral

(FOX 2) - Five people were arrested after a man brandished a firearm at a Detroit funeral home on Saturday.

A gun was pulled out by someone who was among those attending a funeral at the New McFall Brothers Funeral Home around 11 a.m. It happened after a pastor administering the service had asked guests to shift around the room.

What we know:

Over the weekend, police received several calls after someone allegedly pulled out a handgun and threatened the pastor overseeing a service at a funeral home.

Darthanian Nichols, the pastor, was officiating a funeral service at the New McFall Brothers Funeral Home when he instructed guests to clear the floor in case of an emergency.

"In that moment, a man began yelling obscenities, pulled out a gun, and pointed it toward me, threatening to hurt me if I didn't stop speaking," he said in a post on social media. "Immediately, the room went into chaos, people screaming, running, fear and anger filled the room."

Police said on Monday that the man never fired the weapon. Instead, the pastor de-escalated the situation.

"The pastor — the calm he kept and the way he handled himself — he's a hero," said DPD Capt. John Stewart.

The suspect was arrested soon after. Four other people were later taken into custody for various weapons offenses, Stewart said during a news briefing.

Dig deeper:

Detroit police were already in the area of the funeral home, located near Dexter and Joy.

Stewart said law enforcement has increasingly allocated officer resources to funeral services because of an increase of gun violence issues at funeral homes.

The suspect in this case could face felonious assault and felony firearm charges.