Police: Man yelled 'liars' before killing 3 in church
a..
b.. NEW: Gunman, 52, faces three counts of murder, five counts of assault
c.. Sheriff says gunman was suspect in Saturday assault on 14-year-old girl
d.. An assistant pastor and two worshippers were killed, police chief says
e.. Police say some of the shooting victims were related to the gunman
NEOSHO, Missouri (CNN) -- A man with a machine pistol stormed a southwestern
Missouri church where his relatives were praying, shouting "liars, liars" as he
opened fire and killed three people, police said Monday.
Police identified the gunman as Eiken Elam Saimon, 52. He is charged with three
counts of first-degree murder, four counts of first-degree assault, one count of
armed criminal action and one count of felonious restraint for holding the
congregation hostage, said Newton County Prosecutor Scott Watson.
A fifth count of assault is pending, Watson said.
Police said Saimon shouted "liars, liars, you're all liars" before opening fire
with a semiautomatic machine pistol commonly known as a Tech-9, Police Chief
David McCracken said.
When police arrived, Saimon had surrounded himself with 30 to 40 hostages in the
sanctuary and "he was holding a female hostage at gunpoint," the chief said.
Five people were wounded in the Sunday afternoon attack at the church in Neosho,
about 120 miles northeast of Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Saimon had been listed as a possible suspect in the assault of a 14-year-old
girl that was reported Saturday evening, Newton County Sheriff Ken Copeland
said.
Killed in the shooting were Kernal Rehobson, Intenson Rehobson and Jesse
Ikoshia, Watson said.
Wounded were Jim Handy, Melihna Tarra, Dahnny Jack and Handy Kendey, Watson
said, adding that his office is awaiting the name of a fifth person who was
wounded.
The wounded were transported to area hospitals, at least one of them by
helicopter.
One of them required surgery, and two others were still in the hospital Monday,
McCracken said. All are in fair condition and are expected to recover, the chief
said.
Police received a report about 1:54 p.m. (2:54 p.m. ET) that someone was
shooting inside the 100-year-old First Congregational Church.
A group of Micronesians was holding a service at the time, McCracken said. The
gunman also is a Micronesian, McCracken said, and he had relatives attending the
service, including "some of the victims."
Micronesia is a series of islands in the western Pacific Ocean.
Saimon had three guns, including the 9 mm semiautomatic Tech-9 and a
small-caliber handgun, McCracken said.
He ordered the children in the church to leave without their parents, McCracken
said. The kids were all accounted for and were not harmed, he said.
Saimon is married and has a family, Sheriff Copeland said.
When police arrived at the church the shooter was holding as many as 50 people
hostage inside the church, authorities said. Police apprehended Saimon without
incident after a hostage negotiator spoke with him for five or 10 minutes,
McCracken said.
"He made the decision that it was not his day to die," the chief said Monday.
"It was hard to tell which way he was going to go until he dropped the weapon."
Saimon is being held in the Newton County jail on $5 million bond, Watson said.
The police chief would not comment on the gunman's motive, but said police are
pursuing "a couple of leads."
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