A Catholic priest from a small Nebraska city was fatally stabbed to death by a suspect who broke into the church’s rectory early Sunday morning, according to authorities and church officials.
Sheriff 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 Catholic Church, the Washington County Sheriff’s Office said.
Gutgsell was rushed to University of Nebraska Medical Center where he was pronounced dead.
Williams, 43, of Sioux City, Iowa, was still in the rectory when authorities arrived, and was arrested for homicide and use of a weapon to commit a felony, the sheriff’s office said.
Law enforcement were initially called to the scene for an attempted break-in at the church located in Fort Calhoun, a city of about 1,000 that is 20 miles north of Omaha.
The Archdiocese of Omaha said in a statement Gutgsell was assaulted during an “invasion at the rectory” at the church.