Dozens of shots fired at home of high-profile Tennessee pastor

Pastor Greg Locke’s home was a crime scene early Wednesday morning with shell casings littering his driveway and police officers standing by, according to a social media statement posted by Locke. One minute before Locke and all but one of his family members pulled into their driveway, a gunman with a fully automatic weapon pulled up to the residence and swept gunfire across the house, garage, and a vehicle parked in the driveway, Locke said.

The Wilson County Sheriff’s Office confirmed to WORLD that officers arrived at Locke’s home at around 10:30 p.m. after receiving reports someone had opened fire on the home. Deputies found 30-40 shell casings in the driveway, Capt. Scott Moore, a spokesman for the agency, said. One of Locke’s children was inside the house at the time of the attack but was not in an area of the home struck by gunfire, the pastor said. Police confirmed that no one was injured in the attack.

One of the bullets punched through the headboard of Locke’s youngest daughter’s bed and lodged in her pillow, Locke said. The pastor added that police escorted the family to a hotel where they spent the night. Detectives were investigating the incident, the sheriff’s office confirmed.

Who is Greg Locke? He pastors Global Vision Bible Church in Mount Juliet, Tenn. He also hosts the On Point with Pastor Greg Locke podcast and has authored four bestselling books, three of them about spiritual warfare, according to his website. Locke’s website describes him as a social media firebrand. He recently urged his followers to buy guns and protect their families if Vice President Kamala Harris won the November presidential election.

Locke also waded into the controversy after reports that a Venezuelan gang apparently seized apartment buildings in Aurora, Colo. Aurora City Council Member Danielle Jurinsky reported last week that a gang had taken over an apartment complex in the city. On Wednesday, she further reported that police documents showed activity by members of the Tren de Aragua gang was taking place in at least one apartment complex.

When social media accounts began to report that members of the Hell’s Angels were headed to Aurora to drive out the gang members, Locke posted that he hoped they would “clean house,” accusing police of already failing to do their jobs. But local media reported there was no evidence the Hell’s Angels were there to confront the gang.

Dig deeper: Read Elizabeth Russell and Christina Grube’s report dissecting the alleged intersections between major parties and Christianity.