WASHINGTON — Monsignor Walter Rossi is showing remarkable grace after tragedy struck his church. The rector of D.C.'s Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception said he's praying for both the victims, and the perpetrator, of a terrifying attack at the cathedral, that nearly one million people visit annually.
Officers were called to the Basilica, the largest Catholic church in North America, Tuesday morning for a reported stabbing. Police said a suspect rammed a female security guard with his vehicle in the Basilica's parking lot, pinning her against other cars, hitting her repeatedly and trying to run her over.
When a male security guard tried to save his colleague, the suspect allegedly chased him inside to the church's crypt and stabbed him repeatedly, according to Rossi.
Police are calling it a "domestic" situation, as a spokeswoman for the Basilica said the woman knew her attacker.
Parishioners struggled to comprehend the outbreak of violence at a holy place.
"It makes you feel, 'Where is a safe place anymore?'" Ron Johnson, a longtime worshiper on his way to the noon service, said.
Police said the suspect barricaded himself into his home on Sheridan Street NW, ultimately giving himself up and getting escorted in handcuffs to an ambulance. Officers said he was suffering from minor wounds to his stomach.
Investigators said other than the fact that the two victims worked there, there is no indication the suspect was targeting the shrine.
Rossi spoke to reporters only briefly, but spokeswoman Jacqueline Hayes said he talked and prayed with the injured guards.
"He prayed for the staff," Hayes said. "He also prayed for the perpetrator, because that's who we are here at the Basilica."
Police have not released the suspect's name or the charges against him.
Security guards at the basilica are unarmed, but Rossi said the Basilica is reconsidering that.
Police said both victims and the suspect are likely to survive.
It may take longer to recover the peace they once felt here.
"I'm going to say some extra prayers,"Johnson said.