SHARON, S.C. (AP) - Church officials in South Carolina said a white man shouted racist slurs at black parishioners and pulled down his pants to show them his butt while they were holding services outdoors due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The man was “being loud and boisterous” in an attempt to disrupt the service at St. John Missionary Baptist Church in Sharon on Sunday before he yelled the slurs and mooned the worshippers, according to an incident report filed with the York County Sheriff’s Office.
He also shouted “white power” as he spewed the slurs at people, including children, Pastor John Brown told The Herald.
“I spoke during the sermon to our people and told them that we have been called that before, but God created us this color and that as black people we are just as important and part of God’s world as anyone,” Brown said.
York County Sheriff Kevin Tolson told the newspaper that he learned about the alleged incident on Tuesday and called church officials, urging them to file an official report, which they did the next day. He said the church leaders told him that no one had confronted the person.
“The people there at the church that day handled the incident extremely well,” he said.
Authorities have not yet identified a suspect, Tolson added.
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