Tulsa man charged with first-degree murder after priest shot in Seneca, Kansas

A Tulsa man is in custody, accused of fatally shooting a Catholic priest in Seneca, Kansas.

66-year-old Gary L. Hermesch was arrested Thursday after a shooting at the Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church rectory. He was charged Friday afternoon with one count of first-degree murder.

A 911 call reporting gunfire came in around 2:50 p.m. Deputies from the Nemaha County Sheriff’s Office and Seneca Police officers arrived minutes later and found 57-year-old Father Arul Carasala outside the residence, suffering from gunshot wounds.

Seneca EMS transported Father Carasala to the Nemaha Valley Community Hospital, where he later died.

Kansas Highway Patrol troopers secured the scene while local authorities took Hermesch into custody. He was booked into the Nemaha County Jail on suspicion of first-degree murder, though formal charges have not yet been filed.

Investigators say the case remains active, and no further details are being released at this time.