A Catholic priest, Rev. Arul Carasala, was fatally shot at the Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church rectory in Seneca, Kansas, on Thursday (April 3). The 57-year-old priest was found with gunshot wounds outside the rectory and was transported to a hospital, where he later died, according to the Nemaha County Sheriff’s Office.
Authorities have detained Gary Hermesch, a 66-year-old man from Tulsa, Oklahoma, in connection with the shooting. Hermesch is being held in the Nemaha County Jail on suspicion of first-degree murder. As of now, officials have not disclosed a motive for the shooting or confirmed if there was any prior relationship between the suspect and the priest.
Kris Anderson, the parish’s director of religious education, expressed her shock and sadness, stating that an older man approached Carasala and shot him three times. The community of Seneca, with a population of about 2,100, is mourning the loss of a beloved leader who had been serving as pastor since 2011. Carasala was originally ordained in India in 1994 and had been serving in Kansas since 2004. He became a U.S. citizen in 2011.
Archbishop Joseph Naumann of the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas assured the community that there was no ongoing threat but acknowledged the profound grief and shock the incident had caused. Seneca is located approximately 60 miles north of Topeka and 90 miles northwest of Kansas City.
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