Catholic priest Arul Carasala shot dead. (Image Credit: Facebook/Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann)
A Catholic priest from Andhra Pradesh was shot and killed by a man who approached him at his parish rectory in Kansas, church officials said. An Oklahoma man is being held on suspicion of the killing.
Officers found Arul Carasala, who hailed from Kadapa in Andhra Pradesh, with gunshot wounds outside the rectory of Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church. The priest, 57, was rushed to a hospital, where he died.
"I am heartbroken to share the tragic news of the death of
Fr Arul Carasala
, who was fatally shot earlier today," said archbishop Joseph Naumann. "This senseless act of violence has left us grieving the loss of a beloved priest, leader, and friend." Carasala had been the pastor at the church since 2011. He was ordained priest in Kadapa diocese on March 4, 1994.
Authorities have not released a possible motive for the shooting.