Gun massacre at Texas church Sunday service leaves 26 worshippers dead
Pastor’s teenage daughter among 26 dead as attacker walks in during Sunday service and starts shooting
THE United States was reeling from another mass shooting last night as a gunman walked into a quiet rural church and opened fire, killing 26 people.
A Sunday service at the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, about 30 miles from San Antonio, Texas, became a scene of horror. Worshippers who died included a pregnant woman and the 14-year-old daughter of the church’s pastor. A two-year-old child was among more than a dozen injured.
It was believed the massacre was captured on video, as the church films its services and posts them on the internet.
The gunman was named by US media as Devin Kelley, 26, who lived in San Antonio. His mother-in-law reportedly had an address in Sutherland Springs, a small town of several hundred people.
Kelley was believed to have spent several years in the US Air Force and was dishonourably discharged after facing a court martial in 2014, CBS News reported. The gunman was dressed in black tactical gear with a ballistic vest and had an assault rifle, said Freeman Martin, a spokesman for the Texas Department of Public Safety. As the attacker left the church, a heroic local resident grabbed his gun and “engaged” him. The gunman got in his vehicle but it ran off the road and he was found dead. The death toll was 26, said Greg Abbott, the Texas governor.
President Donald Trump, who is on a trip to Asia, told reporters: “Our thoughts and prayers are with the vic- tims and families. In dark times, Americans do what they do best, we pull together, we join hands, we lock arms and, through the tears and through the sadness, we stand strong, oh so strong.”
The attack took place on the eighth anniversary of the Fort Hood massacre in Texas in which 13 people were killed.
THE teenage daughter of the pastor at a small Texas church that was turned into a bloodbath yesterday was among the victims of America’s latest mass shooting.
Pastor Frank Pomeroy said he and his wife, Sherri, were out of town when the attack happened at the First Baptist Church, but Annabelle, their 14-yearold daughter, was among the 26 people killed. Annabelle “was one very beautiful, special child”, Mr Pomeroy told ABC News. His wife said “many friends” had died.
Sutherland Springs is a community of 400 people about 30 miles southeast of San Antonio.
“We’re shocked. Shocked and dismayed,” said State Senator Judith Zaffirini, a Democrat whose district includes Sutherland Springs. “It’s especially shocking when it’s such a small, serene area. These rural areas, they are so beautiful and so loving.”
The gunman was identified by US media as Devin Kelley, a 26-year-old from Comal County, northeast of San Antonio. Witnesses said the gunman walked into the church shortly before noon in “full gear” and opened fire, also injuring more than 20 people. He was reportedly dressed in black tactical gear, with a ballistic vest and had an assault rifle.
A total of 23 victims were found dead in the church, two were found outside, and one person died in hospital. The youngest victim was aged five and the oldest 72. Other victims included a sixyear-old boy named Rylan, who was in surgery after being shot four times, his uncle told CBS News. A two-year-old was also shot and wounded, the Dallas Morning News reported.
Police said the killer had been “taken down” and was dead. “There was no police chase,” said Sergeant Robert Murphy, the sheriff ’s spokesman in neighbouring Guadalupe County, denying earlier media reports that the gunman was killed after a pursuit. “He was in his vehicle.”
Police said that as the killer left the church, a heroic local resident had grabbed his gun and “engaged” him. The gunman got in his vehicle but it ran off the road and he was found dead.
Nick Uhlig, a 34-year-old church member who didn’t attend yesterday, said his cousins were at the service and that his family was told at least one of them, a pregnant woman with three children, was among the dead. “We just gathered to bury their grandfather on Thursday,” he said. “This is the only church here.”
Sunday services at the small white church were usually attended by about 50 people, local residents said.
Albert Gamez Jr, a Wilson county commissioner, said his “heart is broken”. “You never think this can happen, but it can. It doesn’t matter where you’re at. Look at what can happen. It’s a tragic day, massive,” he told CNN. “We don’t know what would inspire a guy to start shooting like that.”
One witness, a cashier at a petrol station over the road from the church, said she heard dozens of shots being fired in rapid succession.
Carrie Matula said: “We heard semiautomatic gunfire. We’re only about 50 yards away from this church. This is a
‘It’s a very tight-knit community. People all know each other’
very small community, so everyone was curious as to what was going on.”
Greg Abbott, the Texas governor, said: “Our prayers are with all who were harmed by this evil act. Our thanks to law enforcement for their response.” He described it as the worst mass shooting in modern Texas history.
The church films its weekly Sunday services and posts them on Youtube, meaning the shooting was probably captured on camera.
The shooting came just over a month after a gunman in Las Vegas killed 58 people and wounded hundreds attending an outdoor concert.
Two years ago, Dylann Roof, a white supremacist, entered a black church in Charleston, South Carolina, and shot nine people to death.