Two New Mexico Churches Rocked by Explosions Sunday Morning

by Elisha Fieldstadt

 

Back-to-back explosions rattled two churches in a New Mexico town Sunday morning, police said. 

No one was injured in either explosion, and damage to each church was "relatively minor," according to a statement from the Las Cruces Police Department.

Aaliyah Doninguez, 11, holds a sign advising parishioners in Las Cruces, New Mexico, that Mass at Holy Cross Catholic Church mass was canceled on Sunday. Robin Zielinski / AP

A mailbox was blasted at Calvary Baptist Church in Las Cruces, about 50 miles from the Mexico border, around 8 a.m. local time, the police statement said. Parishioners were gathered inside the church at the time of the explosion, but services had not yet begun, the statement said. 

Less than half-hour later, police were called to Holy Cross Catholic Church, about three miles away, where an explosive device had gone off in a trash can near the entrance of the church, according to police. The service at Holy Cross had started, and worshippers were evacuated, police said. 

The churches remained closed Sunday afternoon while multiple law enforcement agencies are investigating the nearly-simultaneous blasts, according to police.
Holy Cross Catholic Church said activities at their adjoining school would be canceled Monday morning. "Please pray for our community," said a statement from the church. 

"Just the fact that they were at churches the same day a half an hour apart or so, that leads us to believe it could be something related," police spokesman Dan Trujillo told the Las Cruces News. Trujillo said police have advised other churches in the area "to be on the lookout for anything suspicious." 

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Las Cruces police investigate explosions near Calvary Baptist, Holy Cross

No injuries: Devices placed just outside churches in trash can, mail box

By Walter Rubel
wrubel@lcsun-news.com @WaltRubel on Twitter

Posted:   08/02/2015 09:47:28 AM MDT

While waiting in a staging area, Holy Cross Catholic Church Pastor John Anderson tries to get in touch with other local churches to warn them of the two explosions that occurred Sunday morning and to be vigilant. (Robin Zielinski Sun-News)

Robin Zielinski — Sun-News While waiting in a staging area, Holy Cross Catholic Church Monsignor John Anderson tries to get in touch with other local churches to warn them of the two explosions that occurred Sunday morning and to be vigilant.

LAS CRUCES, NM

Explosions about a half hour apart shattered the serenity of morning services at two Las Cruces churches Sunday, but caused no injuries and only minor damage, police said.
The explosions happened at Calvary Baptist Church, 1800 S. Locust, shortly after 8 a.m. and Holy Cross Catholic Church, 1327 N. Miranda, about a half hour later. The explosion at Holy Cross took place in a trash can just outside the entrance of the church as services for the 8 a.m. Mass were taking place.

Robin Zielinski — Sun-News Holy Cross Catholic Church pastoral associate Elizabeth Behnke informs parishioners of ride arrangements and that their cars must be left at the church until the parking lot is searched on Sunday.

Monsignor John Anderson had been in the part of the service where communion is passed.
"I was right in the middle of saying the words 'take and eat, this is my body' and there was a Pow! I mean, I knew it had to be more than a gunshot," he said. "It didn't know if it was a shotgun blast, I didn't know what. But it was very loud and I just kept on saying the words."

Ann Marie Sullivan, a college student and lifelong parishioner at Holy Cross, described it. "It sounded like something had fallen off and shattered the glass in the back."
At the end of the Lord's Prayer, the pastor sent a deacon to find out what had happened, and it was reported that a bomb had exploded in a trash can outside the front glass doors, shattering the thick glass.

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"I had just received communion and had gotten back to my chair when the police came up and said we need everyone to leave out the doors calmly," Sullivan said, saying police told parishioners. "We have it under control but we need you to leave the building."
Ten minutes later, and it could have been much worse, Anderson said.

Robin Zielinski — Sun-News Aaliyah Doninguez, 11, stands on North Alameda Boulevard advising parishioners of Holy Cross Catholic Church that Mass is canceled on Sunday.

"I'm just thankful to God nobody was standing by the door, because there's usually always somebody standing there. But because it was the consecration part of the Mass, everybody was kneeling down and facing toward the altar," he said. "Ten minutes later we would have been leaving and standing around that space."
At a press conference Sunday night, Gov. Susana Martinez said that only a "coward" would place an explosive device in a church. She vowed that the person responsible would be caught, and urged people to continue to attend church services.
"Whoever did this will feel the full pressure of the law," she said. "If your intention was to bring fear to those who worship, you have failed."

Robin Zielinski — Sun-News Las Cruces Police Officer Joseph Campa talks to Holy Cross Catholic Church parishioners on Sunday after an explosion occurred at the entrance of the church during Mass.

State Police Chief Pete Kassetas said the acts were certainly intended to terrorize churchgoers, but he could not call it an act of terrorism at this time, or even confirm for certain that the two explosions were related.
The Dona Ana County Sheriff's Office Bomb Squad, New Mexico State Police, and an NMSU canine unit are all assisting in the investigation, as are federal officials with the FBI, ATF and Department of Homeland Security, Las Cruces Police spokesman Dan Trujillo said.
The earlier explosion at Calvary Baptist Church took place in a mailbox on a wall near the administrative entrance to the church, Trujillo said. Several worshippers were gathering inside the church when the explosion happened, but services had not yet begun.

Jett Loe — Sun-News Las Cruces police block portions of Locust Street in response to an explosion Sunday morning near Calvary Baptist Church.

"It was a real bomb, I saw all the parts," said Cavalry Baptist member Dennis Llewellyn, who said he was outside the church when the explosive went off. Llewellyn said he was a former special forces member with the Marines and recognized bomb parts that included an Eveready battery. He and fellow church member Mike Stewart kept churchgoers arriving for the 8:30 a.m. service from going into the building during the five to 10 minutes it took for police to arrive. Stewart was the one to notice the debris and damaged mailbox, the two men said.
Llewellyn described the explosion as loud, and Stewart, who was inside, said it shook the building. Llewellyn said there were about 30 people inside the building when the explosion occurred.

Kassetas said they were not releasing information on the type of explosive device used while the investigation is ongoing, but said they "were not fireworks"
"These devices were intended, I believe, to do harm and could have done harm to people."
Trujillo said had no information yet as to possible motives, but police assume the two blasts are related.
"Just the fact that they were at churches the same day a half and hour apart or so, that leads us to believe it could be something related," he said.
"Somebody wanted attention, and somebody wanted to be very destructive against the Catholics, I guess," Monsignor John Anderson said. "I don't know how else to read that."
"We'll well have to increase the security and have people in the parking lot all the time and have cameras in that gathering area to see who is there at all times. So, well have to be more vigilant."
Trujillo said police were been contacted by other churches in town asking what they should do.
"We can't tell them what to do, but we can tell them to be on the lookout for anything suspicious," he said. "Don't go poking around in trash cans or mailboxes. If you have any suspicion of anything that's out of the ordinary, please call to police and leave it up to the officers to look it over."
During a rally Sunday night at Pioneer Park, faith leaders from throughout the community called for forgiveness and a stronger sense of community. A message was read from Bishop Oscar Cantú in which he expressed thanks that nobody was hurt, and vowed the church services would continue, but with more prudence.

Sun-News staff members Robin Zielinski, Jett Loe, Lucas Peerman and Sylvia Ulloa contributed to this report.

Las Cruces police investigate an explosion inside a mailbox on the 1800 block of Locust Street, near Calvary Baptist Church. (Jett Loe Sun-News)