A self-described devil worshipper pointed a shotgun in two missionaries' faces, jammed the barrel into the back of one man's head, then chased them down in an SUV — and days later, still hasn't been charged. If this were any other category of hate, it would be leading every newscast in America. Because the victims were Christians spreading the Gospel, the press can barely be bothered.
The incident happened just before noon Monday in Youngstown, Ohio. Two men from Idaho and Utah were going door to door in a neighborhood, handing out pamphlets and, as WFMJ Channel 21 reported, "spreading the word of Jesus." When they knocked on a Hillman Street door, the man who answered told them he worshipped the devil — then produced a rusty shotgun and pointed it at their faces, according to WFMJ.
As the missionaries tried to walk away, the suspect shoved the shotgun into the back of one man's head. They ran. He followed — first on foot, then in his own SUV, chasing them down and again aiming the weapon at them. Police found the two men hiding in bushes roughly a mile from the suspect's home, WKBN Channel 27 reported. The suspect's empty SUV sat parked nearby on the street.
No injuries were reported. And as of Wednesday, no charges had been filed, according to the Canton Repository.
Here's the part that should alarm every working American who wonders why the system never seems to protect ordinary people: police are already, in their own words, "familiar" with this suspect. WFMJ reports that a police document says he has threatened people with the same shotgun before. A known quantity. A repeat offender with a documented history of brandishing firearms at the public. Still walking free. Still uncharged after chasing two men at gunpoint for the crime of knocking on his door with a pamphlet.
Cleveland.com covered the basic facts. What they didn't do was ask the obvious question: where are the hate crime charges? Where is the national outrage? A man declares allegiance to the devil, arms himself, and hunts down Christians in the street. Swap in any other faith for the victims and this is a federal case before sundown.
Meanwhile, CBS News' Sacramento affiliate spent its Wednesday warning Davis, California residents about a battery suspect in a black hoodie — no details on the alleged crime, no injuries confirmed, no weapon mentioned. That generic advisory got the same platform as a targeted, ideologically motivated armed pursuit of religious Americans in Ohio.
The two missionaries came from across the country to practice their faith in peace. They left running for their lives through strangers' bushes. The man who made them run is known to police and still hasn't seen the inside of a courtroom. The only question left is whether anyone with authority will treat this like what it is — or whether anti-Christian violence remains the one hate crime America's institutions simply don't count.
