Religion
More than half of respondents to a recent Pew survey said religious groups should keep out of political issues. Reuters

A man was arrested on Sunday afternoon for shooting his father-in-law in the back of his head while attending mass at a Catholic church in Ogden, Utah.

Charles Richard Jennings Jr., 35, was arrested near Box Elder County while attempting to flee in a stolen truck, investigators told Associated Press. He was charged with attempted aggravated criminal homicide and aggravated robbery.

The victim was immediately rushed to the McKay-Dee Hospital in Ogden, where he was said to be critical but stable, late Sunday.

Parishioners said the gun was fired during the 11.30 a.m. mass at the Saint James the Just Catholic Church in Ogden, which lies 38 miles to the north of Salt Lake City. The motive behind the shooting is yet unknown, but police confirmed to AP that it was not a random act of violence.

"We don't know the motive," Lt. Danielle Croyle of the Ogden police force told The Salt Lake Tribune. "It is a domestic violence-related incident."

The victim was sitting with his wife in the back pew when Jennings, along with his wife, approached his father-in-law and shot him.

Rebecca Ory Hernandez, a parishioner who was sitting close to the victim when the incident occurred, told Ogden's Standard-Examiner that parishioners were informed by the priest that Jennings and his wife were involved in a domestic dispute.

"The guy walked up to his father-in-law and shot him point blank in the head," Hernandez said. "Then I ran over to the victim and pulled my scarf off and put it around his head.

"He was pretty calm. There was so much blood ... People were in shock and some people were passing out. We have some military guys in our parish and they ran out after the guy," she added.

According to the AP report, further details of the shooting will be released during a press conference at McKay-Dee Hospital Monday morning.