PEACHTREE CITY, Georgia — Police were called to an Atlanta-area church after someone found a gun inside, but it turned out to have been left by a woman who thought it would be safer there than at her home.
Officers were called Saturday to Holy Trinity Catholic Church after a member found a rifle under a jacket in the chapel, according to a Facebook post Sunday from the Peachtree City Police Department.
“Investigators worked diligently through the night” to identify the owner, according to the statement. Police said the gun was left in the church by a mentally ill and mentally disabled woman who lives with the rifle’s owner.
“She informed investigators that she was uncomfortable with the rifle in the home, so she discarded the rifle at a location where she believed it would be handled safely,” police said.
Investigators found no indication that she intended to use the rifle or participate in any sort of violent activity.
In a Facebook post, the parish said parishioners’ safety “is very important to us.”
“We are doing everything we can to make sure our campus is secure. We will continue to work with Peachtree City Police and other agencies to keep you and your families safe here at Holy Trinity,” the statement said.
Crux staff contributed to this report.
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