SENECA, Kan. ( KSNT ) – Authorities have filed an official charge against an Oklahoma man Friday for allegedly shooting and killing a Catholic priest in Seneca on Thursday.
Court records from Nemaha County show Gary L. Hermesch, 66, of Oklahoma, was charged with murder in the first degree on Friday. He is accused of shooting Rev. Arul Carasala, 57.
A reporter at the Nemaha County Courthouse said Hermesch was in a wheelchair for his first court appearance. He has no criminal history and was assigned a court-appointed attorney.
Law enforcement was called at 2:50 p.m. on Thursday, April 3, to the Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church rectory located at 411 Pioneer Street in Seneca on reports of gunshots , according to a report from the Kansas Bureau of Investigation. Deputies with the Nemaha County Sheriff’s Office and officers with the Seneca Police Department found Carasala outside the rectory suffering from gunshot wounds.
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First responders took Carasala to a nearby hospital for treatment of his injuries. However, he later died at the hospital despite attempts to save his life.
Fr. Carasala was a devoted priest who faithfully served our archdiocese for more than 20 years, most recently as pastor of Sts. Peter and Paul Parish and dean of the Nemaha-Marshall deanery. He was ordained in 1994 in his home Diocese of Cuddapah, India. We ask for prayers for his family, parishioners, and all who are grieving this great loss.”
Marissa Easter, director of communications with the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas press release excerpt on April 3
Law enforcement later arrested Hermesch in connection with the shooting. He was taken to the Nemaha County Jail on a charge of first-degree murder.
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The Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas held a rosary and then a mass on April 3 in memory of Father Carasala at his church. Archbishop Joseph Naumann issued a statement following these services on April 4…