Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Controversial Tennessee pastor reveals home was shot up while child inside

Greg Locke, a pastor at Global Vision Bible Church, once hit headlines for burning so-called ‘witchcraft’ books like Harry Potter and Twilight

Madeline Sherratt
Thursday 05 September 2024 16:49
Pastor Greg Locke, of Global Vision Bible Church, spoke out about shooting
Pastor Greg Locke, of Global Vision Bible Church, spoke out about shooting (Greg Locke / Facebook screenshot)

Your support helps us to tell the story

As your White House correspondent, I ask the tough questions and seek the answers that matter.

Your support enables me to be in the room, pressing for transparency and accountability. Without your contributions, we wouldn't have the resources to challenge those in power.

Your donation makes it possible for us to keep doing this important work, keeping you informed every step of the way to the November election

Head shot of Andrew Feinberg

Andrew Feinberg

White House Correspondent

A controversial Tennessee pastor has revealed that his home was shot up while one of his children was inside.

Greg Locke, a pastor at Global Vision Bible Church (GVBC), said in a Facebook post that he and his family members returned to their home in Mt Juliet, near Nashville, on Tuesday night “exactly ONE MINUTE after a madman unloaded an entire magazine of bullets” onto his property, garage and truck.

Locke, a vocal Donald Trump supporter, described his home as looking like a “full blown crime scene.”

“The sound on the video is truly horrific,” he said of watching back the surveillance footage, revealing that one of his children was inside at the time, but was unharmed.

“Detectives will still be here for a good while tonight. Only one of our kids was home and thank God not in the same area of the house.”

Locke revealed that bullets had penetrated the interior of the house, showing pictures of bullets “lodged” in his youngest daughter’s pillow and puncture marks visible in the headboard.

“The only detail that matters is that Psalm 91 is true and GOD PROTECTED US IN UNIMAGINABLE AND SUPERNATURAL WAYS. Please pray for the Locke family tonight. We love all of you,” he added.

Police on the scene of the shooting at Pastor Greg Locke’s home
Police on the scene of the shooting at Pastor Greg Locke’s home (Pastor Greg Locke/Facebook)

Wilson County Sheriff Captain Scott Moore told People magazine that deputies were called to the home at around 10.30pm when neighbors heard gunshots.

A neighbor told WDBJ7 they had initially “assumed it was some kind of weird backfiring of an engine” before realizing it was gunfire.

A police spokesperson said that multiple shots had penetrated the house, garage, and a vehicle, with 30 to 40 shell casings found at the scene.

“No one was hit or injured during the incident and detectives are actively working on the case,” Moore said.

Headboard seen with multiple bulletholes
Headboard seen with multiple bulletholes (Pastor Greg Locke/Facebook)

One day after the shooting, Locke shared an image of an intersection sign on Facebook which read: “Pray For Pastor Locke & His Family.” “This moved me deeply!!” he commented.

As the lead pastor of GVBC in Mt. Juliet, Locke’s conservative values and church practices have sparked controversies in the past.

He once hit headlines for burning so-called “witchcraft” books like Harry Potter and Twilight.

Bullet hole inside the pastor’s family home
Bullet hole inside the pastor’s family home (Pastor Greg Locke/Facebook)

In another controversial incident in 2022, Locke peddled the debunked QAnon conspiracy theory and baselessly called President Joe Biden a “sex-trafficking, demon-possessed mongrel” who is part of a secret cabal that operates child-trafficking tunnels beneath the White House.

In recent weeks, he has turned his attention to Kamala Harris.

When the vice president shared a post on X reading “When I am President, we will pass the PRO Act and end union-busting once and for all,” Locke responded with: “You won’t be President. You’re an illegitimate Vice President. You have a plan to destroy America with Communism. You know it. I know it. Idiots that pretend to support you know it. The God of Heaven you hate knows it.”

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in