A US Catholic priest has died after being stabbed to death in his church in an attack in Nebraska.
Stephen Gutgsell was stabbed on Sunday “during an invasion" of St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in the small town of Fort Calhoun, Nebraska, the Archdiocese of Omaha said.
The 65-year-old priest was taken to hospital, where he died of injuries caused by the stabbing, church officials said.
Fort Calhoun, with a population of just 1,000 people, is roughly 20 miles north of Omaha, the state’s largest city.
The suspected attacker was taken into custody at the church after the attack early on Sunday, police said.
They later named him as Kierre Williams, 43, of Sioux City, Iowa.
He was arrested on charges of homicide and using a weapon to commit a felony, Washington County Sheriff Mike Robinson said in a statement.
Father Gutgsell made headlines in 2007 after pleading guilty to stealing $127,000 (£101,205) from a different church.
He was later reassigned to another church, with church leaders saying he admitted wrongdoing and sought forgiveness.
Sheriff Robinson said officers did not believe his death was related to that case.
Earlier this year, his brother, Michael Gutgsell, who served in the Omaha archdiocese between 1994 until 2003, also pled guilty to theft charges.
