On the morning of July 28, gunmen broke into the rectory of his church and shot him twice in the head after a brief struggle. Rother served in Santiago Atitlán for 13 years. During that time, in addition to his pastoral duties, he translated the New Testament into the Tzutuhil language and began the regular celebration of the liturgy in that same tongue.[1] Rother also founded a small hospital to serve the community, which was located in Panabaj. The "Hospitalito" and the whole neighborhood of Panabaj were buried in the mudslides that followed Hurricane Stan in October 2005