Man accused of murder in Salmon Arm church shooting has trial date set

A trial date has been scheduled for a man charged with the fatal shooting that took place in a Salmon Arm church last spring.

Matrix Savage Gathergood is due to stand trial July 21, charged with the murder of Gordon Parmenter, who was fatally shot during a Sunday morning service at the Salmon Arm Church of Christ in April 2019.

The judge-alone trial is scheduled for three days at Salmon Arm Supreme Court.

Eyewitnesses say on April 14, 2019, Gathergood entered the church with a rifle and shot Parmenter and another church elder.

Parishioners wrestled him to the ground and seized his rifle. Parmenter was pronounced dead at the scene while the other man was taken to hospital in a stable condition.

Six months after the shooting Gathergood was also charged with arson for an incident that took place one month before the fatal church shooting.

Court records show the arson took place Mar. 14, 2019, the same day Parmenter's property was devastated by fire.

Gathergood is set to stand trial on the arson charge at the Salmon Arm Supreme Court at a later date.

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