Sunday, November 23, 2008

Gunman kills three during church service

Posted by Hannah at 5:18 PM

Fox News Reports:


A shooting inside of a New Jersey church service Sunday morning left one woman dead and two others hospitalized, MyFOXNY is reporting.

Reshma James, 24, died after being shot by her estranged husband during church services at St. Thomas Knanaya Church in Clifton, NorthJersey.com said.

Congregants were attending the morning service when shots were reported at 11:40 a.m. According to the church’s Web site, service traditionally begins at 11:15 a.m.

Dennis John and Silvy Perincheril, both of Hawthorne, were reportedly injured in the shooting, according to NorthJersey.com. Perincheril — who was shot in the stomach— is the church's choir director. James was Perincheril's niece, visiting from California.

The shooting was believed to be a case of domestic violence, with the gunmen suspected to be the spouse of James, NorthJersey.com said.

A witness told NorthJersey.com that the shooter came into to the church saying, "I came to take my wife."

Officials from the Passaic County sheriff’s department and the prosecutor’s office responded to the scene, where more than 200 parishioners had been attending service, MyFOXNY reported.

According to NJ.com, St. Thomas Knanaya is a Syrian Orthodox Church. People at the scene said that the shooting took place during a prayer service for the dead.

Port Authority Police and the State Police have been notified that a suspect — who remains at large — may be trying to evade capture by fleeing to one of the nearby metropolitan airports, MyFOXNY said.


Breitbart also reports on this story:

CLIFTON, N.J. (AP) - A gunman opened fire during services Sunday at a northern New Jersey church, injuring three people, one of them critically, authorities said. The gunman remained at large.
About 200 people were in St. Thomas Syrian Orthodox Knanaya Church in Clifton when the shots were fired before noon.

A law enforcement official said the shooting may be the result of domestic violence.

The New Jersey State Police and county law enforcement agencies were looking for the gunman.

Members of the church are mostly first-generation immigrants and their children from Kerala, India.


Kansas City.com added:

Police were searching for 27-year-old Joseph M. Pallipurath of Sacramento, Calif., after the shooting at St. Thomas Syrian Orthodox Knanaya Church in Clifton.

Detective Capt. Robert Rowan told The Star-Ledger of Newark that the victim, 24-year-old Reshma James, had recently moved from California to escape an abusive marriage and had filed a restraining order against Pallipurath.


Prayers are going up for this church, and the families of the victims. I will also pray for the shooter.

If things like this don't wake the church up that it can happen at their front door...I don't know what would.

Its so sad that it takes a gunman that kills three during a church service, and those types of related stories to show some that it can happen anywhere.


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2 comments:

Mara Reid on 11:08 AM said...

Hannah,
I think this illustrates one reason churches don't want to get involved. It can be very dangerous.

But that is no excuse.
The church must rise up, get over fear, and stand for what is right.

Abusers like this are terrorists. They have used fear and intimidation on their wives/girlfriends for years.

The church must show that these terrorist activities will not work on believers. And we must support and be a haven for the abused.

Doing anything less is falling short of our call.

Hannah on 7:26 PM said...

It does seem strange that because it is dangerous there is that true fear of getting involved...and yet they send the woman back home. (scratches head) lol

I can understand the fear somewhat, but living in denial to deal with it - as I know alot of soceity does - still ....well I just cant wrap my logic around it.

I have to wonder if part of it is lack of humbleness in realizing they have to repent of this HUGE error, and are waiting for someone to take the lead.

I can still see a lawsuit coming when a women dies, and her family takes the church to court over their advice. Wonder if the newspapers will get ahold of that kind of story and run with as they did the sex scandal in the catholic church?

sighhh. I hope it doesn't go that far, but somehow I can smell it coming.

This church it doesn't sound like was involved with that type of advice. It can happen even then.

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