A 59-year-old Palama woman was indicted by an Oahu grand jury Wednesday on an attempted murder charge for allegedly shooting her former boyfriend in the back in a Kalihi church just after the man had been baptized.

Violesolo Tavita was being held at the Oahu Community Correctional Center unable to post $250,000 bail.

Tavita pulled a handgun from her black purse and shot 59-year-old Talaiga Talitonu in the upper right back at about 1 p.m. Saturday at Samoa-Tokelau Seventh-day Adventist Church, 1128 Banyan St., according to a police affidavit filed in Honolulu District Court.

Tavita and Talitonu were previously in a romantic relationship, and Tavita continued to harass Talitonu after the two had separated, Talitonu told police.

On the day of the shooting, Tavita pointed at her purse and made a threatening motion at Talitonu and his new wife, police said.

A church elder, Tony Williams, told police that he was walking behind Talitonu and Tavita when he heard a loud “pop” and saw Tavita holding a dark handgun, court documents said. Talitonu yelled and fell down, and was later taken in stable condition to a hospital.

Williams said he grabbed the gun from Tavita’s right hand and held her until police arrived, documents said.

The gun was determined to be registered to Tavita.

Witnesses said Talitonu had just been baptized in a big celebration and that about 60 to 100 people were entering the courtyard below when the shooting occurred on the second floor.