MT. JULIET, Tenn. (WKRN) – The Wilson County Sheriff's Office is investigating after the home of a pastor, who leads a controversial Mt. Juliet church, was shot at dozens of times.
According to a Facebook post, Pastor Greg Locke came home one minute after someone shot multiple rounds of gunfire.
One of his children was home at the time and thankfully was not injured.
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“The house got hit, the garage hit, the vehicle got hit,” said Scott Moore, Captain for the Wilson County Sheriff's Office.
Captain Moore said when they arrived around 10:30 Tuesday night, they found approximately 30 to 40 shell casings.
"To say what the motivation is, it could be something random, or they are against something he believes,” Moore said.
Locke is the pastor of Global Vision Bible Church. For years, his church has worshiped underneath an enclosed tent. Neighbors have expressed concerns over excessive noise, large events, and book burnings.
“Book burnings is the minimal amount of what we burn it was Ouija boards, it was charms, statues, and all types of things,” said Locke.
In April, News 2 interviewed pastor Locke after a trailer full of Bibles was lit on fire outside Global Vision Bible Church. The Wilson County Sheriff's Office opened an investigation to see if this was a hate crime, which was not ruled out.
“We get a lot of pushback and a lot of hate for our religious and political stands,” Locke said in April.
News 2 asked Captain Moore if these two incidents could be connected.
“In situations like that, you have to see if they are related. You can’t totally eliminate the fact that it's not...I don’t want to speculate what that motivation is but again we just want to hold that person or persons accountable.”
Moore said they are looking into surveillance video and LPR cameras to narrow in on a suspect. The investigation is ongoing.