An armed man entered a Mormon church (Church of Jesus Christ of Latter‑day Saints) in Utah last Sunday and was arrested without incident.
There is currently no mainstream news coverage of the event, but dispatch audio has surfaced online, along with several social media and YouTube posts describing what happened. Fortunately, no one was injured.
The incident has renewed ongoing questions about church security in the United States, particularly within LDS congregations, which operate under a blanket policy prohibiting firearms in their worship buildings except for on‑duty law enforcement.
According to available information, a man dressed in all black entered the foyer of an LDS church in Orem, Utah, and sat down without speaking to anyone. He allegedly placed a revolver beside him and rested his hand on it but made no verbal threats and took no aggressive action.
One church member reportedly approached the man and engaged him in conversation to distract him while others quietly evacuated. During this time, someone contacted police, and dispatch audio captures officers being briefed on the situation.
Police arrived shortly afterward and arrested the man without incident. The revolver was reportedly unloaded, something churchgoers could not have known at the time.
Since 2019, the LDS Church has prohibited firearms in its buildings unless carried by current law enforcement officers.
This incident follows several recent security concerns involving LDS congregations, including a deadly attack in Michigan last year that left multiple members dead.
You can watch our breakdown of this story and the LDS Church’s firearm policy below.
Note: Thumbnail image is a typical LDS church foyer layout and is not intended to represent the exact foyer of the Orem incident.
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