US church shooting murder charges

The shooting victims were members of a Micronesian congregation

A man has been charged with murder in connection with a shooting in a church in the US state of Missouri which left three people dead and five injured.

Eiken Elam Saimon, 52, is also accused of assault and of holding the mostly Micronesian congregation hostage.

Those killed include two senior male members of the congregation and its leader, the Rev Kernal Rehobson.

Mr Saimon entered a not guilty plea at a brief court appearance on Monday.

Bail was set at $1m ($500,000) by a judge at Newton County Circuit Court.

Police have said that Mr Saimon, who is Micronesian, was not an active member of the congregation, which met in the First Congregational Church in the south-western town of Neosho.

Newton County Prosecutor Scott Watson said the suspect was not a friend or relation of any of those killed. The five people injured, all adults, are expected to recover.

Hostage claim

The shooting took place during a lunchtime church service attended by about 50 people on Sunday.

The alleged gunman was armed with two small-calibre handguns and a 9mm semi-automatic machine pistol, according to police.

He surrendered to police after about 10 minutes of negotiation, having allegedly briefly held at least half the congregation hostage.

A witness told the Associated Press news agency that the gunmen had ordered children and some members of his own family to leave before he started shooting.

Police chief Dave McCracken is quoted by the AP as saying: "This was a tragedy as far as those killed and injured are concerned but it could have been a lot worse."

About 200 Micronesians are said to live in the Neosho area. Thousands of people moved to the US from the Pacific islands of Micronesia in the 1990s to find work.