Police have made an arrest in the carjacking of a Catholic priest.
Father Paul Williams says that he was moving his car outside St. Paul's Catholic Church at 1010 W. 4th Street in Wilmington Wednesday morning when a man with a white T-shirt pulled over his mouth and nose pointed a gun at him, demanding his car keys.
"When I turned around I had a gun pointed at my belly," Father Paul said.
The 62-year-old priest says he thought the man was going to shoot him. The Franciscan was not hurt, but the gunman drove off in his car, a 2010 Bronze, Nissan Murano and fled northbound on N. Vanburen Street.
Around 2:40 p.m., police found Father Paul's vehicle parked on the 900 block of West 3rd Street. Police say 19-year-old Deiondre Travis returned to the vehicle after playing basketball in a park underneath Interstate 95. Investigators say Travis briefly entered it and tried to drive back to the basketball courts but was stopped by two police officers.
Travis was arrested and charged with robbery and possession of a firearm.
Father Paul, who is pastor of St. Joseph's Catholic Church, arrived in Wilmington just three months ago. He and several other friars live at St. Paul's Church. He says he's more sad about the situation than angry and has called upon churchgoers to pray that Travis can turn his life around.
"I feel sorry for him," Father Paul said. "He was so desperate. So the people in church, we prayed for him."
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