BURNET COUNTY, Texas — The man who reported a possible attempted church shooting in Burnet County on Sunday, Oct. 6 lied about the incident, according to the Burnet County Sheriff's Office.
Jacob Tarver, who is a volunteer security member of The Epicenter in Burnet, reportedly told authorities he saw two men wearing masks outside the building during service, around 10:30 a.m. that Sunday. Tarver said one of the men showed a rifle, which prompted him to fire three rounds of his gun, the Bosque County Sheriff's Office reported. The two men reportedly fled right after.
The Burnet County Sheriff's Office says 14 law enforcement agencies from across Texas searched for the men during the investigation.
On the afternoon of Monday, Oct. 7, the Sheriff's Office announced Tarver admitted to lying when he reported the incident.
According to the Sheriff's Office, "no hostile actions were taken or directed at the church by any persons, and no weapons were brandished".
The Epicenter's founder and senior leader, Kyle Byrd, posted Sunday on social media, saying, "a team of jihadists" had tried to shoot up the Epicenter.
Byrd told 6 News, "all I can do is on behalf of the church profusely apologize that this has arisen". He also said all reports of "mental illness", "religious zionism" and "religious nationalism" are untrue.
During the Epicenter's livestream Sunday morning, a church member announced the reported security incident, stating, "The heart is not- 'kill 'em all'. That's not the heart. The heart is- be ready and be steadfast and stand firm and trust the lord and do what you can do". You can watch the recording of that livestream here.
Tarver has been arrested and charged with false report to induce an emergency response, deadly conduct, and fabricating physical evidence.
The Epicenter also released a statement on the incident, saying they are "shocked" by the report and offer their "profound apologies" to all those who reached out to them. The full statement can be read at this link.
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