In a tragic incident, an Oklahoma man is facing charges of first-degree murder following the fatal shooting of a Catholic priest at a church rectory in northeast Kansas. The somber event unfolded on Thursday afternoon when authorities responded to a distress call at the Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church in Seneca, discovering Father Arul Carasala wounded from gunshots outside the rectory. Despite immediate medical attention and transportation to a hospital, the 57-year-old priest succumbed to his injuries.
Following the incident, law enforcement agencies, including the Nemaha County Sheriff’s Office and Seneca Police Department, swiftly acted to apprehend the suspect, Gary Hermesch, a 66-year-old resident of Tulsa, Oklahoma. On Friday, Hermesch was formally charged and detained at the Nemaha County Jail, with bond set at $1 million, as stated by County Attorney Brad Lippert. The charging document alleges that Hermesch acted with intent and premeditation in the killing of Carasala. Further details or clarifications regarding the case have not been provided by Lippert or other officials.
The motive behind this tragic event remains undisclosed, and there has been no confirmation on the relationship between the suspect and the victim. Kris Anderson, the director of religious education at the parish, conveyed her sorrow, mentioning that an eyewitness account described an older man approaching Father Carasala and shooting him three times.
This distressing event has shocked the community of Seneca, a relatively small city with a population of approximately 2,100 residents. Father Carasala had been an integral part of this community since 2011, serving as a pastor at the Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church. Originally ordained in 1994 in his native India, he moved to Kansas in 2004 to serve several parishes, eventually obtaining U.S. citizenship in 2011 while maintaining his Indian citizenship.
Archbishop Joseph Naumann of the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas addressed the community’s grief in a social media statement, ensuring the public that there was no continued threat while acknowledging the profound impact of this loss. He lamented the “senseless act of violence” that has deprived the community of a cherished priest, leader, and companion.
Seneca is situated approximately 60 miles north of Topeka, 90 miles northwest of Kansas City, and about 300 miles north of Tulsa, placing it central to these notable cities. The community now grapples with the aftermath of this brutal act and the void left by Father Carasala’s untimely death.