Coroner: Killer may have been relative of murdered pastor

Newton County Coroner Mark Bridges told the Joplin Globe that the man who entered the First Congregational Church in Neosho and murdered three people Sunday was related to one of the victims, the church's pastor Kernal Rehobson:

Newton County Coroner Mark Bridges said Rehobson was shot multiple times and was pronounced dead at the scene. The identities of the two other victims, both Micronesian men in their late 40s to early 50s, were not released because next of kin had not been notified.

Bridges said the shooter and at least one of the dead may have been relatives of Rehobson's.

“It’s my understanding some of the victims and the shooter may be in the same family," he said.

At least three others suffered serious wounds. They were taken to St. John's Regional Medical Center and Freeman Hospital West in Joplin.

"From what I understand, they expect the three other victims in Joplin hospitals to survive," Bridges said.