A white man was arrested on Thursday (Feb. 15) after authorities accused him of setting several fires around a predominately Black church in Rhode Island.
According to WPRI, Kevin Colantonio allegedly attempted to torch Shiloh Gospel Temple in North Providence using gasoline on Sunday (Feb. 11) before the flames were extinguished by members of the city’s police and fire departments. The building, which was empty at the time of the incident, suffered significant property damage as a result. A U.S. District Court affidavit confirmed that there was probable cause to believe that Colantonio “committed the offense of maliciously damaging or destroying by means of fire or explosion any building or other real property.”
“A number of items of evidence were recovered during the court-authorized search, including notebooks and writings, that… included phrases like ‘Burn churches down to the ground,’ ‘Hunt them down, gun everyone down who isn’t white,’ and other phrases expressing animus towards racial and religious groups,” said U.S. Attorney for the District of Rhode Island Zachary Cunha during a press conference. He also confirmed that Colantonio remains in custody and additional charges could be forthcoming, adding that there are no other suspected threats to the church.
Cunha continued, “To the clergy and the parishioners of Shiloh Gospel Temple, let me say this: I cannot imagine how you must feel at this profound violation of what is and is meant to be a place of refuge and a place of worship. To have its sacred precincts violated by fire and hatred mere hours before your congregation and your community was to have gathered for Sunday worship is an intolerable violation.”
WPRI’s report further explained how the investigation over the arson attempt led police to a gas station “less than half a mile away” from Shiloh Gospel Temple. There, an employee told officials that a man with a gas can purchased $10 worth of gasoline and a lighter. Police reportedly found the suspect on the gas station’s surveillance footage and tracked his movements using video from residents and businesses between that location and the church.