A Catholic priest from a small Nebraska town was fatally stabbed by a suspect who broke into his church early Sunday morning, according to authorities and church officials.
Sheriff’s deputies found Father Stephen Gutgsell with stab wounds around 5 a.m. after he was allegedly attacked by Kierre Williams inside St. John the Baptist, the Washington County Sheriff’s Office said.
Steven Gutgsell’s father was found stabbed to death. Archdiocese of Omaha Chancery
Gutgsell was rushed to the University of Nebraska Medical Center where he was pronounced dead.
Williams, 43, of Sioux City, Iowa, was still at the rectory when authorities arrived, and was arrested for murder and using a weapon to commit a crime, the sheriff’s office said.
Law enforcement was initially called to the scene of an attempted break-in at a church located in Fort Calhoun, a town of about 1,000 located 20 miles north of Omaha.
The Archdiocese of Omaha said in a statement that Gutgsell was attacked during a “rhetorical assault” at the church.
Kierre L. Williams, 43 of Sioux City IA was arrested. Washington County Sheriff’s Office
“Please join Archbishop George Lucas in praying for Father Gutgsell’s repose, for his family and for the parish community of St. John the Baptist in this tragic time,” the archdiocese said in a statement, according to the Omaha World-Herald.
Parishioners of St. John the Baptist Mike Fitzgerald told the Omaha-World-Herald that the usual 8:30 a.m. Mass has been canceled. He remembered Gutgsell, who was at the church for 11 years, as “a very holy man.”
“He did a lot for the community,” he said. “He always made sure that the (church) bulletin had everything we needed to know about what was going on in the church.”
The attack happened early Sunday morning. AP
More than a decade ago, Gutgsell pleaded guilty to theft by deception in 2007 for embezzling $127,000 from an area church and was sentenced to probation and restitution.
He was reassigned to another church after church leaders said he later learned his lesson and asked for forgiveness.
Washington Sheriff Mike Robinson told WOWT-TV his office does not believe Gutgsell’s death is related to his past criminal history.
Authorities said Sunday more information would come from the Washington County District Attorney’s Office.
With Postal wire
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
