11:20 PM EDT on Sunday, June 18, 2006

By 6NEWS Staff
E-mail Us: 6NEWS@WCNC.com

The ten-year-old boy who police say was shot and killed by his father will be laid to rest Monday.

Family and friends will say goodbye to Ryan Minor at Saint Matthew Catholic Church in south Charlotte.

Ryan's eight-year-old brother was also shot, and is still in the hospital.

Police say the alleged murder-suicide happened inside a home in Union County.

Thursday a south Charlotte community gathered to pray  for a child reportedly killed by his father. It is the second time this congregation has had to pray for a murdered child in their parish in the last six months.

Members of St. Matthew prayed for Ryan Minor, 10, and his younger brother Ross. Ryan died Thursday morning at Carolinas Medical Center.

"Our thoughts and prayers, of course, are with him. It's difficult for any community, whether it's a faith community or education community to deal with this," said Antoinette Usher, a member of St. Matthew.

Ross is still at the hospital recovering from wounds inflicted upon him when his father allegedly gunned him and his brother down and killed himself.

Fresh in the memory of the parish is another murder a few months ago when the father of another St. Matthew family, David Crespi, allegedly killed his twin daughters.

From the search warrant of the Minor family's Union County home, there are new clues with reasons as to why Mark Minor might have wanted to pull the trigger.

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Mark and Grace's marriage was in trouble, according to the warrant. It said: "Mark Minor (was) up all night upset about the separation," and "Mark asked Grace not to leave him."

The warrant goes on to say she refused. He went upstairs and she heard two gunshots. Grace ran upstairs and found her husband holding a gun. She ran into the children's bedrooms. Seconds later the third shot was fired.

Thursday, the boy's mother released a statement: "Grace Minor and family wish to express their gratitude for all the thoughts and prayers from the community. We continue to pray for the recovery of Ross."

 Ross Minor is still at CMC, but at the request of the family, his condition is not being released.