Detroit pastor praised for actions after man pulls gun on him during funeral

A frightening situation at a funeral over the weekend led to attendees frantically running out of McFall Funeral Home in Detroit over the weekend. 

Detroit police are now praising the pastor of the service for how he handled a man who pulled out a gun right before the funeral service was set to begin. 

"This pastor … the calm he kept and the poise; he's a hero," said Detroit police captain John Stewart.

Stewart said it was a tense moment, and the pastor most likely saved lives. 

"So the pastor kind of gave direction for the people to try to move from where they are at and take their seats; there was a subject inside the funeral home and produced a handgun and, in a threatening manner, said he would not be following those commands," Stewart said.  

"His being trained as a pastor, he engaged the gentleman, began to engage him in conversation, and allowed a lot of people to flee the church, so he's a hero in my eyes," Stewart said.  

That hero, pastor Darthanian Nichols, said he approached the gunman after attendees ran out of the funeral home to offer him some grief counseling. 

I said, 'Hey man, I know you're feeling a lot.' He looked down at me and used some obscenities and said that he didn't even believe in the same God I believed in. I said, 'OK,' and then I walked away from the casket, and I started to make sure people were getting out of the church at that point," Nichols said. 

In all, five individuals were arrested following the incident, including the gunman. No injuries were reported. 

Moving forward, Detroit police want the community to request assistance at funerals or repasses that may have any potential security concerns so that those in attendance can grieve their loved ones in peace.