Six Buddhist monks, a nun, and two acolytes were found dead Saturday in a Buddhist temple west of Phoenix.
The county sheriff told Arizona’s NBC-12 that it was clear they were shot execution style. The bodies were side by side when they were found. He said it’s one of the largest mass murders ever experienced in Arizona.
The nun was the 71-year-old grandmother of the youngest monk who was slain – a 16-year-old from a nearby high school.
No motive has been found and police have no leads as of yet.
A temple board member mourning the losses said the murdered monks had been open to teaching meditation to anyone and everyone, Buddhist or non-Buddhist.