Tulsan charged after attacking church employee, throwing Molotov cocktails at church

A Tulsan who allegedly attacked a church employee then threw two Molotov cocktails at Holy Family Cathedral Church in Tulsa has been charged in federal court, announced U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson.

Daniel Christopher Edwards was charged with unlawful possession of an unregistered incendiary bomb.

According to the Criminal Complaint, on the afternoon of Oct. 5, 2022, first responders were called about the incident and arrived at the church, located at 820 S. Boulder Avenue in Tulsa. A church employee was found with defensive laceration wounds in the basement of the Holy Family Classical School and was transported to a hospital where he underwent surgery for his injuries. Tulsa police and ATF personnel then retrieved surveillance video from the church that captured the attack.

The video showed Edwards bringing a red and white cooler into a breezeway on the side of the church. The church employee made initial contact with the Edwards who then allegedly pulled a sword from inside his clothing and began attacking the employee the weapon. The victim fled back into the church.

The video showed Edwards walking back to the cooler and pulling a glass object from it. He then allegedly lit a piece of fabric, which functioned as a wick, on fire. This type of device is commonly referred to as a Molotov cocktail. After lighting the suspected Molotov cocktail on fire, Edwards then threw it at the church’s exterior wall. When it hit the wall, the Molotov cocktail ignited. He subsequently lit another suspected Molotov cocktail and threw it toward the church. Edwards then left the scene, leaving behind the cooler which also caught fire.

Law enforcement later located and apprehended Edwards at a Reasor’s grocery store located on Sheridan Road in Tulsa.

This matter will proceed in U.S. District Court in Tulsa, where the Complaint is currently pending. A Complaint is a temporary charge alleging a violation of law. For the case to proceed to trial, the United States must present the charge to a federal Grand Jury within 30 days. Once a Grand Jury returns an Indictment, a defendant has a right to a jury trial at which the United States would have the burden of proving the defendant’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.