Man charged in church shooting tried to kill self

Paterson, N.J. — The California man charged with gunning down his estranged wife in a Clifton church is in stable condition after trying to kill himself Tuesday.

A Passaic County Sheriff’s Department spokesman tells The Record of Bergen County Joseph Pallipurath (PAL’-ee-PYOR’-ath) was being held in a special unit with a small number of inmates when he tried to commit suicide.

Pallipurath was put on a suicide watch after being extradited from Georgia.

That’s where he was found after authorities said he killed his wife and a man who came to her aid inside St. Thomas Syrian Orthodox Knanaya (kah-nahn-NY’-ya) Church on Nov. 23.

The wife’s cousin was critically wounded.

— Information from: The Record of Bergen County, http://www.northjersey.com