Man shot in SDA Church after being baptized

A man shot in the back after being baptized inside a Honolulu church is in stable condition, authorities said. Paramedics treated 60-year-old Tali Talitonu for a gunshot wound to the back at the Samoa-Tokelau Seventh-day Adventist Church on Saturday.

The victim's nephew, Taleni Asuega, said up to 100 people, including many children, were spilling out into the courtyard when a woman pulled out a gun and shot Talitonu once in the back, near his right shoulder.

A church elder grabbed the shooter's gun hand, pointing the weapon away from the victim and the crowd, and disarmed her, Asuega said.

Asuega told the newspaper that the woman is also a member of the congregation. He says he doesn't know what prompted the violence.

Police records identify the suspect as 59-year-old Violesolo Tavita, Honolulu TV station KHON2 reported. Relatives told the station that the alleged shooter and the victim knew each other.

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