UPDATE: Woman who left rifle at church had no intention on using it, police say

PEACHTREE CITY, Ga. — UPDATE: Peachtree City police found no evidence the woman who left an assault rifle inside a jacket in the church the day before, had any intention to use it. She was actually trying to do what she thought was the right thing to do. Police tell Channel 2 Action News she was uncomfortable with the rifle in her home so she thought the best thing to do would be to take it to the place she felt was safest, which was the church.

Thousands of worshipers were on edge Saturday night after an assault rifle was discovered Saturday afternoon in the chapel of a Catholic church in Peachtree City.

Officers were called to Holy Trinity Catholic Church after someone discovered the weapon hidden under an unattended jacket in the chapel, police wrote in a Facebook post.

“Investigators are working diligently to determine who placed the firearm there and what their intentions may have been,” authorities wrote. “As always, we encourage citizens to be aware of their surroundings and report suspicious activity to law enforcement immediately.”

Channel 2′s Michael Seiden was in Peachtree City at the church, where investigators were still on the scene and following up on leads Saturday night.

Seiden talked to a church member off camera, who said that when she arrived at the building Saturday afternoon for mass, she couldn’t even get into the parking lot because police had it blocked off.

Investigators told Seiden they are interviewing witnesses and looking at surveillance footage.

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