Catholic priest fatally shot at his Kansas church, suspect charged with first-degree murder

On Thursday, a Catholic priest was fatally shot by a man inside his parish rectory. Father Arul Carasala had been the priest at Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church in Seneca since 2011.

Per WIBW, 66-year-old Gary Hermesch of Tulsa, Oklahoma, was taken into custody and charged with one count of first-degree murder, intentional and premeditated. Hermesch reportedly has no prior criminal record. His bond was set at $1 million in a Friday hearing.

The shooting occurred at around 2:50 pm on Thursday, with authorities receiving a 911 call reporting shots fired inside the church’s rectory. Deputies with the Nemaha County Sheriff’s Office and officers with the Seneca Police Department arrived at 2:55 pm and found Carasala outside with gunshot wounds. He was transported to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead from his injuries.

"We are heartbroken by the tragic passing of Fr. Arul Carasala, pastor of Saints Peter and Paul Parish in Seneca," the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas wrote on Facebook. "Fr. Arul was a faithful priest who devoutly served our archdiocese for more than two decades."

Carasala was ordained in his home country of India in 1994 and came to Kansas in 2004. In 2011, he became a US citizen. The statement later added, "His deep faith, pastoral care, and generous spirit touched the lives of so many."

Vicar General for the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas said in a statement, "Please pray for the repose of the soul of Father Raj 'Arul' Balaswamy Carasala who was tragically shot today at the rectory of Sts. Peter and Paul Parish and died shortly after at the local hospital. A suspected shooter is reportedly in custody. We have no further information at this point. Archbishop Naumann is on his way to Seneca to console and pray with the parishioners of Ss. Peter and Paul and priests of the Nemaha-Marshall Deanery. We will share information as it's available. God give rest to Father Arul's soul."