A Tulsa, Oklahoma, man was arrested after a Catholic priest was shot and fatally wounded outside his parish rectory in Seneca, Kansas, on Thursday.
The Associated Press reported that Fr. Arul Carasala was approached by a man who shot him just before 2:50 p.m. Thursday.
KSHB noted that a 911 call was made at 2:50 p.m. reporting shots fired and police arrived five minutes later to find a wounded Carasala lying outside the rectory. He was rushed to a hospital, where he died.
I am heartbroken by the tragic loss of Father Arul Carasala due to a senseless act of violence.
— Dr. Roger Marshall (@RogerMarshallMD) April 4, 2025
I am praying for Father Carasala’s family, friends, and parishioners as they grieve. We must find who did this, and justice must be served. https://t.co/KITOAxdEdP
A 66-year-old Tulsa man was arrested in connection with the killing. The Topeka Capital-Journal identified the Tulsa man as Gary Lee Hermesch, noting that he was arrested about 30 minutes after the shooting occurred.
Law enforcement does not yet know a motive for the attack.
Carasala had been a priest since 1994 and served the archdiocese for more than two decades.
AWR Hawkins is an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and the writer/curator of Down Range with AWR Hawkins, a weekly newsletter focused on all things Second Amendment, also for Breitbart News. He is the political analyst for Armed American Radio, a member of Gun Owners of America, a Pulsar Night Vision pro-staffer, and the director of global marketing for Lone Star Hunts. He was a Visiting Fellow at the Russell Kirk Center for Cultural Renewal in 2010 and has a Ph.D. in Military History. Follow him on Instagram: @awr_hawkins. You can sign up to get Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange. Reach him directly:
