Competency exam ordered for Nevada church shooting suspect

This undated photo provided by the Churchill County Sheriff's office shows John O'Conner. Police in the northern Nevada city of Fallon are trying to determine why O'Conner walked into his Mormon church on Sunday, July 22, 2018, and opened fire, killing one man and injuring another. (Churchill County Sheriff's Office via AP)

FALLON, Nev. (AP) — A Nevada judge has ordered a mental examination to determine whether the man accused of fatally shooting a fellow congregation member at a Mormon church is competent to stand trial for murder.

The Lahontan Valley News reports John O’Connor’s lawyers requested the competency exam Thursday during a hearing in justice court in rural Fallon about 60 miles (97 kilometers) east of Reno.

O’Connor is charged with first-degree murder in the killing of longtime Fallon volunteer firefighter Charles E. “Bert” Miller during Sunday’s services.

He’s also accused of battery and assault with a deadly weapon in the shooting of Miller’s brother from Utah and for pointing the handgun at another man.

Judge Mike Richards said the evaluation should take 30 days and expects O’Connor back in court in about 45 days.

Bert Miller’s funeral is scheduled Friday morning in Fallon.

Free News Delivery by Email

Would you like to have the day's news stories delivered right to your inbox every evening? Enter your email below to start!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

For security, use of Google's reCAPTCHA service is required which is subject to the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

I agree to these terms.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.