Stopped: Armed Man Threatening Mass Shooting in a Naples, Florida Church
A 23-year-old man walked into a Naples, Florida church Sunday, July 6, 2025, during the final moments of the morning worship service. Two church employees observed his erratic behavior and strange statements. He claimed to be a “trained killer,” asked how much money it would take to stop a mass shooting, and appeared to have a handgun in his waistband.
[ Read the SemperVerus article, A Prayer for Church Security Team Members ]
While one staff member attempted to de-escalate the situation and call 911, another discreetly moved children to safety. When deputies arrived and disarmed him, they discovered he had a loaded handgun, a round in the chamber, and three fully loaded magazines containing 60 rounds of 9mm ammunition.
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Keith Graves of Christian Warrior Training asks, “What if deputies hadn’t arrived in time? What if the suspect had pulled his weapon during the conversation? Would your team be ready to act decisively in that moment? If it were me, the moment I identified that he had a firearm and was making threats of mass violence, I would have moved to disarm and detain him immediately….The window between a warning and an ambush can be measured in seconds.”
[ Read the SemperVerus article, Interview with Keith Graves of Christian Warrior Training ]
He offers lessons to be learned from this incident:
• Have a visible safety team trained in recognizing and responding to potential threats.
• Develop a quiet evacuation plan that can be executed mid-service without causing panic.
• Train your team to act decisively when a weapon is seen or threats are made. Waiting on law enforcement is ideal—but not always an option.
[ Read the SemperVerus article, Church Security Armament Recommendations By Tom Givens, John Correia, and 6 Other Professionals ]
To the above lessons, SemperVerus offers these additional ones:
• If a violent actor is willing to carry 60 rounds (or more) to threaten congregants, armed church security members should carefully consider the number of ammunition magazines they carry while on volunteer duty to adequately counter any sustained threat.
• Establish hand signals and nondescript code words to quietly communicate—visually and audibly—instructions to team members while attempting to de-escalate an agitated situation.
• Be alert to observe and confront a threatening person before he or she enters the building.
Watch the WINK-TV news report:
ALSO READ these SemperVerus articles:
• Gentle Response De-Escalation Training for Church Security Teams
• Organizing, Training & Running a House of Worship Armed Congregant Security Team
• Church Security Review: House of Worship Firearms and Use of Force Policy
• Church Security Team Pistol Qualification Course
• Tactical Training for Individuals and Church Security Teams to Thwart Active Violence Incidents
• Protection Book Review: Just 2 Seconds
• Chart: The Spectrum of Potential Threat Personas in Self-Defense and Church Security
• Church Shooting Analysis Reports
[ Read SemperVerus articles on the topic of CHURCH SECURITY ]
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