Church members fatally shoot gunman
WHITE SETTLEMENT, Texas — Congregants returned fire Sunday and fatally shot a gunman who killed two people in a church near Fort Worth, police said.
The death of the second person was confirmed Sunday evening by FBI spokesman Jason Wandel. He also said the two congregants who opened fire on the suspect were part of a security team at the West Freeway Church of Christ in the town of White Settlement.
The assailant fired at least once before the “heroic actions” of the congregants cut his assault short, said Police Chief J.P. Bevering.
“Unfortunately, this country has seen so many of these that we’ve actually gotten used to it at this point. And it’s tragic and it’s a terrible situation, especially during the holiday season,” said Jeoff Williams, a regional director with the Texas Department of Public Safety. “I would like to point out that we have a couple of heroic parishioners who stopped short of just anything that you can even imagine, saved countless lives, and our hearts are going out to them and their families as well.”
Authorities have released scant details about the victims, the shooter and what led to the attack.
An elder at the church told the New York Times that one of those killed was a security guard who responded to the shooter. “He was trying to do what he needed to do to protect the rest of us,” said the elder, Mike Tinius.
Tinius said he didn’t know the gunman and that the shooting appeared to be random.
In a live stream of the church service, the gunman can be seen getting up from a pew and talking to someone at the back of the church before pulling out a gun and opening fire. Parishioners can then be heard screaming and seen ducking under pews or running as papers fly to the floor.
Two people with minor injuries sustained while ducking for cover were treated at the scene, MedStar Mobile Healthcare spokeswoman Macara Trusty said.
Gov. Greg Abbott asked the state to pray for the victims, their loved ones and the community of White Settlement, about 8 miles west of Fort Worth.
“Places of worship are meant to be sacred, and I am grateful for the church members who acted quickly to take down the shooter and help prevent further loss of life,” Abbott said in a statement.
It is not the first deadly shooting to take place at a church in Texas. In November 2017, Devin Patrick Kelley opened fire on the congregation at a church in Sutherland Springs, killing more than two dozen worshipers, before killing himself.