Authorities report that a cherished small-town priest was shot by an Oklahoma assailant from a location where young students were playing outside a nearby school on Thursday afternoon at a church in Kansas.
The fourth-grade students heard gunfire at the Saint Peter and Paul Catholic Church in Seneca, where Rev. Raj “Aruhl” Balaswamy Karasala, 57, was killed around 3 PM, as reported by The Kansas City Star.
As per the Kansas Bureau of Investigation, Kalasarah was discovered bleeding outside the parsonage and later died from his injuries at a local hospital.
Helmesh, who resided in Tulsa but was raised near Seneca, reportedly employed his brother as a dispatcher and walked to the Nemaha County Sheriff’s Office to surrender.
Seneca is located approximately two hours northwest of Kansas City.
Officials announced on Friday that Helmesh had been charged with first-degree murder.
The reason behind the incident has not been disclosed by investigators.
The devastated residents of this small town, home to around 2,100 people, described Hermesh as a local known for his “kind of solitude.”
Local Jim Lunnebaum also mentioned to KC Star that the suspect used to send “quirky and kind” letters to a local newspaper.
In these letters, he criticized the Catholic Church for becoming too modern, labeling it a “fake Catholic Church.”
He allegedly claimed in a 2022 letter that the Jews and the Vatican II council were detrimental to the church, and compared it in a 2021 letter to President Trump and the first Catholic elected to the Oval Office, President John F. Kennedy.
“JFK was always a ‘man’ during discussions, speeches, and press conferences, but he didn’t attempt to ‘dominate and crush’ like Trump did.”
“Why? Because despite numerous issues, he lived in a time where he possessed a well-formed conscience (understanding of good vs. evil), and everyone acknowledged that knowledge was power.”
Kalasarah, who was appointed in 1994, became the church’s pastor in 2011, according to the church website bio.
Indian immigrants are remembered as “faithful” priests cherished by the community.
“His profound faith, pastoral care, and generous spirit impacted many lives,” stated the Church in a social media post.
The shocking murder has unsettled residents.
“It’s horrifying,” Mike Haug, who witnessed the shooting along with his wife from a nearby yard, told KC Star. “The world is becoming crazier.”
Lisa Kidd mentioned that the two young children in school were “utterly devastated.”
“As a parent, you feel sad, but seeing your child completely heartbroken and asking why, and being unable to answer, is hard,” she said.
“Now I keep thinking, ‘Is this real? Did this really happen?'” Chase Jones added.
“You assume such events happen in ‘other places.’
