The Mayor of Salmon Arm says people are still coming to terms with the shooting death of 78-year-old Gordon Parmenter at the Church of Christ yesterday.

Alan Harrison says people have been reaching out to their friends and neighbours seeking comfort in the aftermath of the shooting.

“In a smaller community like ours, there’s a lot of small group and one on one people getting together just to talk about it, and to try to understand,” he said.

“Now we are seeking to support the Parmenter family and the church congregation.”

Harrison says everybody loved Gordon Parmenter and his family, and he will be missed for all he did in Salmon Arm.

“We’re a community of under 20,000 people so people know each other here. Gordon and his family, they had four children. They fostered children,” Harrison added.

“He was certainly an elder in the congregation in his church. He was a community supporter, well known and very well respected in our community.”

Police have a 25-year-old man in custody, and Harrison says he’s not sure when police will finish their investigation at the church.

Matrix Savage Gathergood is charged with murder, one count of aggravated assault, and one count of disguise with intent to commit and indictable offence.

Investigators do not believe the attack was religiously motivated.