According to the sheriff’s office, Father Stephen Agou, a Catholic priest in Melville, Louisiana, was allegedly attacked by machete-wielding assailants on church grounds.

Johnny Dwayne Neely has been charged with attempted second-degree murder, hate crimes, burglary and a court warrant, according to the St. Landry Parish Sheriff’s Office. Confirmed by KLFY. Authorities reportedly stated that he “wanted to kill a black man today.”

Melville Police Chief Philip Lucas said: “We have charged him with a hate crime because he told us why he was here.” (Related article: Canada’s ‘Black Lives Matter’ leader reportedly charged with hate crimes against Catholics)

“When I got to the corner, the police handcuffed him. And I see the chief, Mr. Philip, assisting the priest. He was just dripping blood, and when I looked, he was “He had two or three bruises on his head. He was badly injured,” said Joshua Johnson of Melville, the paper reported.

Join us in prayer for Father Stephen Agou of Lafayette Parish. He was violently assaulted by a man with a machete, stating, “I want to kill a black man today.” https://t.co/7go9pj4ueC

— Father Josh Johnson (@frjoshjohnson) July 14, 2023

Witnesses told KLFY they saw Neely approach Uguu and ask for food, but after the priest denied it, the 58-year-old attacked him with a machete.

“We were both covered in blood, so I didn’t know what was going on. [My wife] They came and got me, I came here and saw that the man had a very large machete and was cutting the priest,” said another witness.

Uguu was taken to hospital with lacerations to his head and body, but is in a stable condition, the church said in a news release.