A 21-year-old Kentucky man is in jail after stabbing his father during Sunday morning worship at a Southern Baptist church.
Ethan Buckley
Members and the security team at Hillvue Heights Church in Bowling Green, Ky., subdued assailant Ethan Buckley after he stabbed his father multiple times in the neck during the 9:30 a.m. service Aug. 14.
“This morning at the conclusion of our 9:30 a.m. service there was a domestic altercation between a son and his father,” church leaders said in a statement. “It’s an isolated incident and without reservation, it was taken under control by our staff, security and law enforcement. We ask for your prayers for this family.”
The 6,400-member congregation affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention was already coping with the absence of lead pastor Steve Ayers, who is still recovering from severe burns over 52 percent of his body suffered in an accident while working on a boat motor in June.
Police told media that Buckley told them he had been thinking about killing his father and was moved by the sermon to stab him with a pocket knife, aiming to sever the jugular vein so the attack would be painless.
The victim, 40-year-old David Buckley, was transported to a local hospital in an undisclosed condition.
Ethan Buckley is charged with first-degree assault domestic violence and is being held on $500,000 bond in the Warren County Regional Jail. His preliminary hearing is scheduled Aug. 19.