Heroes pursued, shot Texas killer
AFTER MASSACRE: BULLETS HIT HIM IN GAP IN VEST
Shooter crashes during car chase and man gets out and fires three times at him.
Sutherland Springs
ATexas man who saw a local exchanging gunfire with the assailant who had just massacred 26 people at a small town church, said he had no hesitation in pursuing the gunman.
“He needed to be stopped,” Johnnie Langendorff said. “He’s not going to hurt anyone else ever again.”
Langendorff was driving his pick-up truck in Sutherland Springs on Sunday when he saw a local man, Stephen Willeford, trading rifle fire with a black-clad stranger who had just emerged from the First Baptist Church.
“He jumped in my truck and said ‘he just shot up the church, we got to get him’ and I said ‘okay, let’s go’,” Langendorff said.
At the time, neither of them knew they were chasing Devin Kelley, 26, an Air Force veteran who police say put on tactical gear, a ballistic vest and skull-like mask to carry out the most deadly mass shooting in the modern history of Texas.
The pursuit lasted about 10-12 minutes, Langendorff said. Then Kelley crashed into a ditch. Willeford’s cousin, Ken Leonard, said Willeford shot Kelley where there was a gap in his vest.
“He, without armour and barefooted, ran into the fire and put his own life at risk, took return fire and fired accurately three times. That’s an amazing accomplishment, especially for a man who was never in the military.” – Reuters – AFP