Church Members Say They Are Confused After Pastor Shot By OHP Trooper

News On 6 has learned the man shot and killed by a trooper during a flood water rescue attempt was a Tulsa pastor.

Nehemiah Fischer was shot and killed by a trooper on Friday and his brother Brandon was arrested. Family members and his church group are still trying to figure out what happened.

At Faith Bible Church, the congregation is missing one of its own at Sunday services.

“This world did not need to lose that man," pastor Don Hargrove said.

The Oklahoma Highway Patrol is investigating what happened Friday night in Okmulgee County when troopers got a call about a driver being stuck in flood waters near Bixby and Hectorville Roads.

Troopers say they ordered Nehemiah Fischer and his brother Brandon to higher ground because of rapidly rising water.

5/30/2015 Related Story: HP Trooper Shoots, Kills Man During Okmulgee County Water Rescue

OHP says a fight started with the men.

Capt. Paul Timmons says one of the troopers was assaulted, and in self-defense, fired on Nehemiah killing him.

Troopers arrested his brother Brandon and booked him into the Okmulgee County Jail on complaints of assaulting an officer and public intoxication.

“That's not Nehemiah, there's no way he would do that knowingly," Hargrove said.

Hargrove and his congregation can't believe Nehemiah is gone.

He says Fischer attended the church for 15 years, often preached and taught several Bible study classes.

“My reaction is devastation, shock,” he said. “He's the finest man I've met in my entire life."

Fischer married less than a year ago.

“He was just fantastic,” Jan McKay said. “The biggest thing for me is I know he is very slow to anger and so that's why I can't compute.”

McKay hopes OHP will be able to give Fischer's wife an idea of what happened.

“We're just very confused at this point,” McKay said. “I'm very pro-police, so I'm not criticizing them at all. But we just want to know information, especially at this point where she just lost her husband. She needs to have information about her beautiful husband."

OHP says it still is investigating and has not released the name of the trooper.