Trump: Guns not to blame for 26 dead
‘Family feud killer’ deranged, he says And luckily other shooter stopped him
DONALD Trump has angered anti-firearms campaigners by saying the Texas church shooting was not “a guns situation”.
He blamed the massacre on the mental health of atheist gunman Devin Kelley who killed 26 worshippers with an assault rifle at his mother-in-law’s church as part of a suspected family feud.
Asked if tighter firearms controls could have prevented the shooting, the President said: “I think that mental health is your problem here.
“This was a very – based on preliminary reports – a very deranged individual, a lot of problems over a long period of time.”
As Democrat rivals called for tighter firearms controls, Trump insisted: “We have a lot of mental health problems, as do other countries. But this isn’t a guns situation.”
Instead, he praised Americans’ right to bear arms, hailing a villager who shot Kelley in Sutherland Springs to end Sunday’s killing spree at the First Baptist Church.
Trump added: “Fortunately somebody else had a gun that was shooting in the opposite direction.
“Otherwise it would have been, as bad as it was, it would have been much worse. But this is a mental health problem at the highest level.” Trump’s hero of the hour was Stephen Willeford, who grabbed his rifle when he heard the screams and gunshots inside the church.
As Kelley stepped outside in black combat gear, the 55-year-old biker shot him through a gap between his body and a bulletproof vest, forcing him to drop his Ruger AR rifle.
Kelley ran to his SUV and fled. Willeford jumped into the truck of another local, Johnnie Langendorff, who drove off in pursuit with him.
The mass murderer crashed after the 95mph chase and was found dead in his SUV with more guns. It is unclear if he killed himself. Kelley,
26, is believed to have targeted his mother-in-law’s church after a bitter feud in which he sent her threatening texts.
Both Kelley’s estranged wife Danielle and her mum, Michelle, attended services, but were not there on Sunday.
Michelle is seen in Facebook photos with Sherri Pomeroy, wife of pastor Frank, and in a video with their daughter Annabelle, 14, who was killed in the massacre. Kelley wed second wife Danielle, 22, who was a bible school teacher at the church, in 2014. The killer and his first wife, Tessa, divorced in 2012.
Kelley was discharged from his logistics and supply role in the US Air Force following a court martial for assaulting his first wife and breaking his infant stepson’s skull. He also served 12 months’ confinement.
The dad-of-one was described as “kinda quiet, lately seeming depressed” by Patrick Boyce, who attended High School with the killer. Nina Nava, another ex-pupil, said: “He always talked about how people who believe in God were stupid and tried to preach his atheism.”
Before wiping out 5% of the village’s population and injuring 24 on Sunday, he posted a picture of his gun on Facebook with the caption: “She’s a bad bitch.”
It emerged last night that Kelley bought two firearms from sporting goods chain Academy Sports and Outdoors in the past two years. The firm said he was approved in background checks.
It is not clear if his assault conviction should have barred him from buying guns. In Texas, where there is no wait period for buying assault rifles, mass killings accounted for 45 deaths in 2015 and 39 in 2016. This year’s running total is 57.
Despite this, State Governor Greg Abbott once tweeted a joke about being behind California in gun purchases.
Trump is heavily backed by the National Rifle Association and has opposed more rigorous gun controls.
His refusal to back changes comes just five weeks after the Las Vegas concert massacre killed 58.
Trump’s rival Democrats demanded reform yesterday. Senator Bon Casey said: “In addition to offering my prayers and thoughts, I also believe Congress must take action on gun violence.”
And Kamala Harris, a possible presidential contender, said: “Senseless gun violence has torn apart another community, this time in a house of worship.”