UPDATE:
Shooting - Names of Gunman and Victims
Three Micronesians, Including Pastor, Killed in Church Shooting
A Micronesian, who came to the United States in the early 1990's and has helped many to settle in the Southwestern Missouri region, was killed today along with two other Micronesian men when a gunman opened fire during a church service. Kernal Rehobson, 44, was pastor of a Micronesian congregation which used the First Congregational Church in Neosho for its 1 p.m. Sunday afternoon service.
Some of the congregation was held hostage until the shooter was persuaded by police to surrender. Several of the Pacific Islander worshippers, were wounded. The gunman, now held in Newton County jail, has not been identified.
It was reported that there were 25-50 people at the church service. According to the Carthage Press, after the gunman was captured, about 17 people were escorted to Sam's Cellar, a restaurant and bar located about a block down from the church.
A paramedic said he treated a male, 40 - 45 years of age, who suffered a gunshot wound to the head, and a 78-year-old woman who had a gunshot wound to the left arm. Some of the ladies walked barefoot from the church and had blisters and bloody feet, and one of the elderly women collapsed, reported a witness.
"This is a terrible tragedy which was made worse by the fact that it happened in a peaceful place of faith and worship," said Missouri Gov. Matt Blunt.
In February of 2002, Yokwe Online carried an interview with Rehobson by the Joplin Globe. The article began, "Born in paradise, Kernal Rehobson has been more or less marooned in Southwest Missouri for almost 10 years now.The 38-year-old South Pacific islander who runs a specialty food market in Goodman, isn’t surprised by his fate."
Francis X. Hezel, SJ, of Micronesian Seminar (MicSem), and his team, visited the United States in 2006 to report on Micronesians who have migrated to America and met with Pastor Rehobson. The following is from the report, "Micronesians Abroad":
The person who organized the games–and who oversees most
other activities that take place in Neosho–is a Pingelapese
businessman by the name of Kernel Rehobson. Kernel owns a
retail store that is a gathering place for Micronesians from dozens of
miles around since he stocks his store with the type of down-home
items that are so difficult to find in the US: the large plastic combs
that women wear in their hair, zoris, dawasi and brushes for
showers, and island-style skirts with embroidered hems. Kernel
says that he had his troubles when he first settled in Neosho; people
mistook him for a Mexican and kept asking for his papers when he
tried to enroll his kids in school or gain access to any social
services. He started out working for K-Mart as a warehouseman,
worked his way up to manager, and later quit to begin his own
business. Kernel also serves as pastor to the Pingelapese
community in the church that they share with the Neosho Protestant
congregation. Anyone from the islands who needs help of any sort–
a social security number, a driver’s license, a job–always comes to
Kernel first.
-compiled by Aenet Rowa, Yokwe Online, August 12, 2007
For updates and discussion:
Shooting at Micronesian Church in Missouri
