Gunman had violent history
UNITED STATES: The gunman who killed 26 people at a smalltown Texas church had a history of domestic violence and sent threatening text messages to his mother-in-law, a member of First Baptist Church, before the attack, authorities say.
After the deadliest mass shooting in the state’s history, officials from President Donald Trump’s administration revealed yesterday that the US military did not submit the shooter’s criminal history to the FBI, as required by the Pentagon. If his past offences had been properly shared, they would have prevented him from buying a gun.
Investigators also revealed that deputies had responded to a domestic violence call in 2014 at Devin Patrick Kelley’s home, involving a girlfriend who became his second wife. Later that year, he was formally ousted from the US Air Force for a 2012 assault on his exwife, in which he choked her and struck her son hard enough to fracture his skull.
In the tiny town of Sutherland Springs, population 400, grieving townspeople were reeling from their losses. The dead ranged in age from 18 months to 77 years, and included multiple members of some families.
‘‘Our church was not comprised of members or parishioners. We were a very close family,’' said Sherri Pomeroy, the wife of the church pastor, who was out of town with her husband when the attack happened. ‘‘Now most of our church family is gone.’' The couple’s 14-year-old daughter, Annabelle Pomeroy, was among those killed.
Kelley’s mother-in-law sometimes attended services at the church, but the local sheriff said she was not there when the shooting started on Monday.
The massacre appeared to stem from a domestic situation and was not racially or religiously motivated, Texas Department of Public Safety Regional Director Freeman Martin said. He did not elaborate.
Based on evidence at the scene, investigators believe Kelley died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound after he was chased by bystanders, one of whom was armed, and crashed his car.
The 26-year-old also used his cellphone to tell his father he had been shot and did not think he would survive, authorities said.
The investigation showed that Kelley had displayed a pattern of violence spanning years.
While in the military, Kelley served in Logistics Readiness at Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico from 2010 until his 2014 discharge, air force spokeswoman Ann Stefanek said. He was discharged for the assault involving his previous wife and her child, and had served a year of confinement after a court-martial.
Under Pentagon rules, information about convictions of military personnel for crimes such as assault should be submitted to the FBI’s Criminal Justice Investigation Services Division.
The Trump administration officials were not authorised to discuss the matter and spoke on condition of anonymity.
A few months before he received the bad-conduct discharge, sheriff’s deputies went to Kelley’s home to check out the domestic violence complaint involving him and his thengirlfriend. People at the house said there was no problem, and no arrests were made. Kelley married the girlfriend two months later.
Also in 2014, he was charged with misdemeanour animal cruelty in Colorado after a neighbour reported him for beating a dog. Kelley denied abusing the animal but complied with an order to pay almost US$370 in restitution.
He was also the focus of a protective order issued in Colorado in 2015.
Once the shooting started, there was probably ‘‘no way’' for those at the church to escape, Wilson County Sheriff Joe D Tackitt Jr said.
The gunman, dressed in black tactical gear, fired an assault rifle as he walked down the centre aisle. He then turned around and continued shooting on his way out of the building, Tackitt said.
About 20 other people were wounded. Ten of them were still hospitalised yesterday in critical condition.
A rifle was found at the church, and two handguns were recovered from the gunman’s vehicle, according to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The assailant did not have a licence to carry a concealed handgun, Martin said.
Authorities said Kelley lived in New Braunfels, about 50km north of the church. Investigators were reviewing social media posts he made in the days before the attack, including one that appeared to show an AR-15 semi-automatic weapon.
Less than two months ago, Kelley had started a job as an unarmed security guard at a nearby resort. He ‘‘seemed like a nice guy’' and did not cause any problems, said Claudia Varjabedian, manager at the Summit Vacation Resort in New Braunfels.
Church member Nick Uhlig, 34, who was not at Monday’s service, said his cousin, who was eight months pregnant, three of her children and her in-laws were among those killed.
The church has posted videos of its Sunday services on a YouTube channel. In a video of its October 8 service, a congregant pointed to the October 1 Las Vegas shooting a week earlier as evidence of the ‘‘wicked nature’' of man.