Suspect Charged In Suspicious Device Found At Garner Church

GARNER, N.C. — Police have charged a suspect in connection with a hazardous device discovered last week in the parking lot of Capital Church.

The Garner Police Department announced today (Wednesday) that Christopher McMullen, age 38, of Garner has been identified as the individual allegedly responsible for the suspicious item found Feb. 27 at the church, located at 1308 U.S. Highway 70 West.

McMullen is charged with possession of a weapon of mass destruction, second-degree trespassing and littering.

The device was discovered shortly after 7 a.m. in the church parking lot, prompting an evacuation and temporary road closures in the area. Technicians with the Raleigh Police Department Hazardous Device Unit responded and determined the object was a hazardous device. Authorities safely destroyed it and said there was no fragmentation associated with the device. No injuries were reported.

Investigators have found no evidence that Capital Church or its members were specifically targeted, and there is no indication the incident was directed at the congregation.

Several agencies assisted in the response, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation and North Carolina State University Police.

The investigation remains ongoing.