TEXAS — At least 26 people were killed and several more were wounded when a gunman dressed in black walked into a church in Sutherland Springs Sunday afternoon and opened fire.
The ‘mass casualty situation’ is at the Sutherland Springs Baptist Church—in the 200 block of 4th Street.
Multiple agencies were responding, including the FBI. Authorities say the victims range in age from 5 to 72 years old. A Pastor’s 14-year-old daughter was among the deceased.
The suspect, Devin P. Kelley9, 26, is dead following a short pursuit with police. A motive for the crime was not known. Kelley recently showed off an AR-15-style rifle on social media.
Kelley is a former U.S. Air Force member who served from 2010 to 2014. He received a dishonorable discharge and was court martialed in May 2014, CBS News reported3.
An armed citizen apparently ended Kelley’s rampage when he engaged the shooter in gunfire—-causing him to flee.
WATCH: Official Says TX Church Shooter Was Confronted By Citizen Who Engaged Shooter In Gunfight, Chased Him Down – https://t.co/DuJM7KR7ep pic.twitter.com/Cfh67Z0jun
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) November 6, 2017
Authorities revealed that a heroic and unidentified citizen in the church “grabbed his rifle and confronted the suspect,” who was armed with a “Ruger AR assault type rifle.” The local citizen pursued the suspect, who ran off the road and crashed and was found deceased in his vehicle. “We don’t know if it was a self inflicted gunshot wound or if he was shot by our local resident who engaged him with gunfire,” authorities said. It was the largest mass shooting in Texas history.
The horrific mass shooting wounded almost everyone inside the small country church building, which held only about 50 people in the town of only a few hundred people. The victims ranged in age from 5 to 72, authorities said. “This will be a long suffering mourning for those in pain,” said Governor Greg Abbott, confirming that 26 people had died. Authorities would not confirm the suspect’s name, and they said they were investigating, but could not confirm, reports of possible militia ties. However, Heavy has learned that the shooter’s wife says on Facebook that she is from Sutherland Springs, and her mother was pictured in previous photos at the First Baptist Church, showing the shooter has personal ties to the church. Online records show the wife’s name is Danielle Shields, which CBS has also confirmed.
1. The Shooter, Who Showed Off a Photo of a Rifle on Facebook, Once Taught Bible School
Kelley’s Facebook page has now been deleted, but you can see a screenshot of the weapon he posted above. His profile picture showed two small children, which was a chilling juxtaposition next to the semi-automatic rifle that was his cover photo. According to The Daily Beast, “Kelley was married and Kelley’s mother-in-law listed a P.O. box in Sutherland Springs as a mailing address. San Antonio police reportedly raided Kelley’s home on Sunday evening…he briefly taught at a summer Bible school.” He lived about 35 miles from the shooting scene.
The shooter was described as a “white male in his 20s from outside San Antonio” by Mike Levine, a journalist for ABC News, who reported that law enforcement had uncovered a weapon photo on Kelley’s Facebook page. “Authorities are now scrubbing his social media; on Facebook in recent days, he showed off an AR-15 style-looking gun,” Levine wrote.
Devin Kelley’s LinkedIn page says that he was a VBS “teacher aid (sic)” for “VBS AT KINGSVILLE FBC” and notes, “Dates volunteered Jun 2013 – Jun 2013 Volunteer duration 1 mo. Cause Children. Teaching children ages 4-6 at vocational bible schools helping their minds grow and prosper.” However, multiple children are reportedly among those shot in the church. Kelley’s Facebook page also showed that he had liked pages devoted to atheism, as well as those on German Shepherds, Glocks, and karate.
Despite rumors on social media, there is no evidence that he was a member of Antifa or carried out the attack on behalf of the far left group. There is also no evidence he converted to Islam and was a practicing Muslim, as other social media rumors have claimed. Although he liked multiple atheist-related pages on Facebook, it is not known if he considered himself to be an atheist or was simply interested in it. Some doctored photos have circulated on social media, and people identified the wrong people as suspects early on.
2. The Gunman, Who Is From Comal County, Once Wrote That He Lived By the Air Force’s ‘Core Values’
Families in tears wait to see if their family and friends are safe. Praying for the safety of all those involved.
The LinkedIn page in the shooter’s name shows that Devin Kelley served in the U.S. Air Force right after high school, from 2009 through 2013. According to The New York Times, Kelley is from Comal County. His motive and why he targeted the Wilson County church remain unclear. Comal County is located northeast of San Antonio, Texas. The Daily Beast reported that Kelley was a “resident of New Braunfels, a suburb of San Antonio.”
Kelley’s LinkedIn page says, under the entry for U.S. Air Force, “Cargo, demand and supply , distribution.” He added, “Basic learning on my contracted job.” The page says he attended New Braunfels High School from 2003 to 2009, receiving his diploma. His LinkedIn page also says, “I am a hard working dedicated person. I live by he (sic) core values on which the Air Force go by.” He identified himself as a “management consulting professional” and said he was CPR certified.
However, CBS News reported that the suspect is former “US Air Force E1 (2010-2014). He received a dishonorable discharge. He was court martialed in May 2014.” The network also wrote, “Kelley is a former U.S. Air Force member who served from 2010 to 2014. He was dishonorably discharged and court martialed in May 2014.”
3. The Gunman Was Dressed All in Black & Wrote That He Did Not Fear Death
Devin Kelley’s social media accounts contained other warnings. His Facebook page contained a quote from Mark Twain about not fearing death. “I do not fear death,” it read. “I had been dead for billions and billions of years before I was born, and had not suffered the slightest inconvenience from it.”
Authorities say the gunman approached the church around 11:20 a.m.: “He was seen dressed in all black. He started firing at the church. He moved to the right side of the church and continued to fire, then he went in the church.” He was “dressed all in black tactical type gear and was wearing a ballistic vest,” said authorities in the press conference. Multiple weapons were found in Kelley’s vehicle, although authorities have not described them. The San Antonio Express-News reported that authorities were checking Kelley’s residence for explosives. It’s not clear what they found.
4. Multiple Children Were Among the Victims, Including the Pastor’s Teenage Daughter, Who Was Remembered as a ‘Beautiful, Special Child’
The toll on children was horrific, and includes four children shot from a single family, 5-year-old children shot, and an 8-year-old child who hid under a pew.
5. The Pastor Recently Used a Metaphor As a Message About Faith
Area of the church is now blocked off and taped off. Family and friends still waiting to hear if their loved ones are safe.
The news of the shooting broke first on social media as citizens with instant access to a national audience reported that their loved ones were in peril or had witnessed aspects of the shooting or its aftermath. One man said that people he knew were inside the church. He wrote on Facebook, “Just got a call from (named removed) prayers needed for Sutherland Springs community. Someone went into the Baptist Church and shot 15 people. The guy is one the run and they have the roads closed down. (Names removed) were at their church in LaVernia. Please keep prayers going.”
The church’s pastor is prone to colorful metaphor. According to the Herald-Zeitung, “In the most recent service, posted Oct. 29, Frank Pomeroy parked a motorcycle in front of his lectern and used it as a metaphor in his sermon for having faith in forces that can’t be seen, whether it be gravity or God.” The pastor said, according to the newspaper, “I don’t look at the moment, I look at where I’m going and look at what’s out there ahead of me,” Pomeroy said. “I’m choosing to trust in the centripetal forces and the things of God he’s put around me.”
“I’m hearing there was a shooting at the First Baptist Church on 539 near Hartfield Rd in the Sutherland Springs area. Lots of sheriff’s deputies on scene, blocking traffic. EMS from all over Wilson County have been called in. Multiple victims,” one social media user wrote. Another man wrote on Facebook, “A bunch of people have been shot in Sutherland springs . The church and gas station people walked in and started shooting so far herd 15 dead maybe more.” People gathered at a local community center to learn about their loved ones.