Published: 10/15/2019 10:03:05 PM
Modified: 10/15/2019 10:02:59 PM
NASHUA, N.H. — A man accused of storming into a New Hampshire church over the weekend and shooting a clergyman and a bride during a wedding pleaded not guilty Tuesday.
Dale Holloway, 37, of Manchester, is accused of attempted murder, assault and other charges in connection with the Saturday shooting at the New England Pentecostal Ministries in Pelham.
Holloway was held without bail Tuesday. A message was left for a public defender assigned to his case.
Assistant Attorney General Benjamin Agati said authorities believe Holloway acted alone, and they are investigating whether it was connected to the Oct. 1 shooting death of his stepfather, 60-year-old Luis Garcia. The groom in the church shooting, Mark Castiglione, is the father of the man accused of killing Garcia in Londonderry. Brandon Castiglione, 24, has been charged with murder and is jailed.
“I don’t think I’m comfortable saying it’s just a revenge shooting at this point. We are still investigating the other aspects of this,” Agati said. “There is some connection that is there. Again, we are investigating what the exact motives are for all the players involved.”
Holloway shot two people Saturday morning before wedding guests tackled him and held him down until police arrived at the church in Pelham, N.H.
The attorney general’s office said 75-year-old presiding bishop Stanley Choate, who was shot in the chest, has been upgraded and is stable. Sixty-year-old bride Claire McMullen, who was shot in the arm, was released. Mark Castiglione suffered minor injuries after being hit in the head with the gun.
Agati said Holloway has a criminal record in Massachusetts.
WMUR-TV reported that Holloway was convicted in 2003 in Massachusetts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon and assault with intent to kill.
The church remains closed to the public. Holloway’s bail hearing is scheduled for Oct. 22.
“Everyone is still in shock because we never imagined it would happen in church, let alone in New Hampshire,” said Magalie Felix, a member of the Pelham church.