Bishop David Monroe, 69, suffered severe trauma to the head and remains closely monitored in hospital

Vancouver Sun 

October 25, 2010 

By Graeme Wood And Tiffany Craw Ford 

The head of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Kamloops was in serious but stable condition Sunday after he was violently beaten at the church rectory Friday night.

Bishop David Monroe, 69, was admitted to Kamloops Royal Inland hospital with severe trauma to the face and head, and body injuries, including several cuts after emergency officials found him lying on the floor bleeding and unconscious.

He was taken out of intensive care Sunday and moved to a recovery unit where he continues to be monitored closely, said Msgr. Jerry Desmond, vicar general of the Kamloops Roman Catholic Diocese.

“He recognizes people and can say his name but that is about it,” said Desmond. “It’s that serious.”

He said the attack has devastated members of the Catholic community who prayed for their bishop during Sunday service.

“Please just keep him in your prayers,” he said.

A 30-year-old man is in custody facing charges of aggravated assault, said Sgt. Scott Wilson of the Kamloops RCMP.

He’s expected to appear in a Kamloops court today.

The incident took place just after 10 p.m. at the rectory, which is adjacent to the Sacred Heart Cathedral in downtown Kamloops.

Desmond said someone came into the kitchen and ripped off the door to the microwave and possibly used it to hit Monroe in the head.

When Monroe was attacked, priest Vincent Asomugha, who was in the rectory at the time, tried to come to the bishop’s assistance but fell and injured his shoulder. The attacker fled before police arrived, Wilson said.

Wilson said Kamloops RCMP undertook an intensive search for the suspect, including use of air support and canine units. A suspect was found at 1 a.m. about five kilometres away in north Kamloops at the G and M Trailer Park hiding in his father’s shed.

Police were able to get a modest description of the suspected attacker after linking the attack to another incident at the Royal Inland Hospital, just two blocks away from the church.

At about 8:30 p.m., a man was reported to have broken a hospital window and fled after his family admitted him because of concern over his well-being.

“He may have had some delusions about religion,” said Wilson.

There is nothing to indicate the attacker knew Monroe before the incident and no motive has been concluded, Wilson said.

Wilson said Monroe was attacked with a weapon believed to have originated in the bishop’s home.

RCMP spokesman Cpl. Dan Moskaluk on Sunday would not confirm that a microwave door was used as the weapon, but said more information would be released today in Kamloops.

gwood@vancouversun.com

Parishioners pray for bishop’s attacker as police recommend assault charges

thespec.com (Hamilton Spectator)

25 October 2010 

KAMLOOPS, B.C. – Parishioners of a Kamloops, B.C., Roman Catholic church are saying prayers of forgiveness for a man suspected of viciously beating their bishop.

The alleged attacker is scheduled to make his first court appearance Monday, and police are recommending charges of aggravated assault.

Bishop David Munroe answered the door of the rectory at Sacred Heart Church on Friday at about 10 p.m., when a man burst in and beat him, leaving him bloody and unconscious on the floor.

Monroe, 69, remains in hospital in serious condition.

On Sunday, Priest Vincent Asomugha joined parishioners in asking for forgiveness for the 30-year-old attacker.

Asomugha was upstairs in his bedroom when he heard a bang at the rectory door, followed by a struggle.

As he ran to investigate, Asomugha slipped on the stairs and reached out for the railing, which broke in his hand. He fell and dislocated a shoulder.

While Asomugha struggled in pain, he saw a man assaulting Munroe.

“I rushed outside to look for people,” he said.

Finding no one, he ran back inside and pulled the security alarm, which didn’t work.

“The alarm didn’t go,” Asomugha said. “I was forcing it, forcing. I rushed outside again.”

He was relieved to find three men walking towards him, including another priest who lives at the rectory, and rushed them inside to help the bishop.

“When they went in, the man inside ran away through the front door,” Asomugha said, adding police were then called.

RCMP Sgt. Scott Wilson said as Mounties searched for the attacker, they learned of an incident an hour earlier at the hospital, where a man being admitted to the psychiatric unit became agitated, broke a window and ran off.

“The male had been taken to Royal Inland Hospital by family members earlier in the day due to their concern over his mental well-being,” Wilson said.

Police, assisted by an RCMP helicopter and a dog team, found the man at about 1 a.m.

He was hiding in a shed at a trailer park on reserve land, where he was arrested.

Msgr. Jerry Desmond, vicar general of Kamloops, took over the Sunday morning service for Munroe.

He said the kitchen area was covered with blood and broken dishes after the attack, and the bishop may have been beaten with a torn-off microwave door.

“We gathered for prayer this morning as we normally do,” he said of the Sunday morning service.

Munroe’s family is staying with him at the hospital and parishioners are asked to leave him in peace, Desmond said.

A member of the congregation, Nicole LinkLoehr, said she feels sorry for the attacker and hopes he gets the help he needs.

“I don’t think the bishop would want us to be angry,” she said. “He would want us to forgive him

Kamloops Daily News