Church Massacre Stuns Missouri Immigrants

Micronesian community asks why after home- grown crime kills 3
By Sam Gale Rosen,  Newser Staff
Posted Aug 14, 2007 8:15 AM CDT
Church Massacre Stuns Missouri Immigrants
Eiken Elam Saimon, left, is escorted out of the courtroom at hiswld arraignment by a member of the Newton County Sheriff's Department Monday, Aug. 13, 2007, in Neosho. Saimon is accused of opening fire inside of a church on Sunday, killing three people and wounding five others during a worship service...   (Associated Press)

The Micronesian community in a small Missouri town is struggling to come to grips with a brutal crime by one of its own. Eiken Elam Saimon ran into a Micronesian church service and opened fire, killing three and wounding five. About 300 Pacific Islanders live in the town of Neosho, where they migrated beginning in the 1990s.

The killer reportedly yelled, "Liar, liar," as he fired, and appeared to deliberately target leaders of the congregation. Police have so far declined to discuss a motive, though Saimon is also a suspect in the unrelated sexual assault of a minor. "This guy ruined the Micronesians' name in America," says another member of the local Islander community. (More Neosho stories.)

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