A 61-year-old man is dead and a gunman has been charged with murder following a fatal shooting Sunday afternoon at a worship service of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Fallon, Nev., authorities said.
Updated 1:00 p.m. MST, 7/23/18
Police confirmed Sunday night that Charles "Bert" E. Miller, of Fallon, died from gunfire. A second gunshot victim was treated for a leg injury and released from Banner Churchill Community Hospital in Fallon, about 63 miles east of Reno. A motive remains unclear, police said, but the shooting appears to be an attack on an individual, not the LDS Church.
Police said the shooter, John K. O'Connor, 48, surrendered to officers Sunday after speaking with a hostage negotiator at his home. O'Connor is a member of the church and had attended the service at a local church building before he opened fire, according to a police statement.
Police responded to a 911 call around 12:58 p.m. reporting a shooting at the chapel, where responding officers saw two people injured by gunshot. One person subsequently died while the other was receiving treatment for a leg wound that was reported to be not life threatening.
After the shooting, O'Conner returned home on foot, police said. Fallon police officers and deputies from the Churchill County Sheriff's Office surrounded the home. After a hostage negotiator arrived and placed several phone calls to the home, O'Connor agreed to surrender and left the home, where he was arrested, according to police.
Police searched O'Conner's home and discovered a hand gun with the same caliber shell casings as found at the scene. He has been formally charged with murder and battery with substantial harm and is currently being held with bail set at over one million dollars.
