SENECA, Kan. — Prosecutors in Nemaha County, Kansas, have charged a 66-year-old Oklahoma man with first-degree murder in the Thursday shooting death of a priest.

Gary L. Hermesch of Tulsa, Oklahoma, was charged just before 1 p.m. Friday with first-degree murder in the death of Father Arul Carasala.

Police in Seneca, Kansas, about two hours northwest of the Kansas City area, received a call just before 3 p.m. on a report of shots fired at the rectory of the Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church.

When officers arrived, they located Carasala suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. Carasala was transported to a nearby hospital, where he died from his injuries.

The Kansas Bureau of Investigations says a suspect in the shooting, identified as Hermesch, turned himself into custody not long after the incident.

Online court records indicate Hermesch is being held in the Nemaha County Jail on a $1 million bond.

In a social media post Thursday, Archbishop Joseph Naumann of the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas remembered Carasala as a “devoted and zealous pastor who faithfully served our Archdiocese for over twenty years.”

Carasala had served as the priest of the church in Seneca for the last 14 years.

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If you have any information about a crime, you may contact your local police department directly. But if you want or need to remain anonymous, you should contact the Greater Kansas City Crime Stoppers Tips Hotline by calling 816-474-TIPS (8477), submitting the tip online or through the free mobile app at P3Tips.com. Depending on your tip, Crime Stoppers could offer you a cash reward.

Annual homicide details and data for the Kansas City area are available through the KSHB 41 News Homicide Tracker, which was launched in 2015. Read the KSHB 41 News Mug Shot Policy.

Associated Press

Saint Louis City SC (2-2-2, 10th in the Western Conference) vs. Sporting Kansas City (0-5-1, 16th in the Western Conference)

Kansas City, Missouri; Saturday, 8:30 p.m. EDT

BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Sporting Kansas City +118, Saint Louis +205, Draw +250; over/under is 2.5 goals

BOTTOM LINE: Sporting Kansas City looks for its first victory of the season when it hosts Saint Louis City SC.

Sporting KC is 0-4-1 against Western Conference opponents. Sporting KC has a 0-4 record in one-goal games.

Saint Louis is 2-1-2 against Western Conference teams. Saint Louis is seventh in the MLS drawing 31 corner kicks, averaging 5.2 per game.

The matchup Saturday is the first meeting of the season between the two teams.

TOP PERFORMERS: Daniel Salloi has two goals for Sporting KC. Dejan Joveljic has two goals.

Cedric Teuchert has scored one goal with one assist for Saint Louis. Marcel Hartel has one goal.

SEASON SO FAR: Sporting KC: Averaging 1.0 goal, 2.5 shots on goal and 5.0 corner kicks through six games while allowing 2.0 goals per game.

Saint Louis: Averaging 0.7 goals, 3.2 shots on goal and 5.2 corner kicks through six games while allowing 0.3 goals per game.

NOT EXPECTED TO PLAY: Sporting KC: Ian James (injured), Andrew Brody (injured), Joaquin Fernandez (injured).

Saint Louis: Jayden Reid (injured), Jake Max Gordwood-Reich (injured), Tomas Totland (injured), Rasmus Alm (injured), Cedric Teuchert (injured), Roman Burki (injured).

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.