A Catholic priest was shot and killed Thursday by a man who approached him at his parish rectory in the town of Seneca, Kansas, church officials said.
“I am heartbroken to share the tragic news of the death of Fr. Arul Carasala, who was fatally shot earlier today,” Archbishop Joseph Naumann, of the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas, said in a Facebook post. “This senseless act of violence has left us grieving the loss of a beloved priest, leader, and friend.”
Carasala had been the pastor at Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church in Seneca since 2011, according to his profile on the parish website. He was ordained as a priest in 1994 in his native India and had served in Kansas since 2004. He became a U.S. citizen in 2011.
A post on the parish Facebook page said the priest was shot at the the church rectory and died shortly after at the local hospital.
“A suspected shooter is reportedly in custody,” the post said.
Kris Anderson, the parish’s director of religious education, told The Associated Press they knew few details.