Armed worshippers kill gunman at church
2 dead, 1 hurt in shooting at church; motive unknown.
Authorities say church members acted quickly to take down a gunman who opened fire Sunday at a church in Texas.
WHITE SETTLEMENT, TEXAS — Church members acted quickly to take down a gunman who opened fire Sunday at West Freeway Church of Christ in White Settlement, authorities said.
The gunman fatally shot a person and critically wounded another before several members of the congregation returned fire during a service at the church, White Settlement Police Chief J.P. Bevering said. The gunman died at the scene, he said.
The shooting happened during communion, according to a livestream video of the service obtained by the Star-Telegram.
A man was standing toward the back of the sanctuary holding a tray when the shooter got up from a nearby pew, walked toward the man and appeared to say something to him.
The gunman then backed up, pulled out a long gun and fired a shot toward a man who was seated nearby. He then fired a shot toward at the man holding the tray.
A man in the back then pointed a handgun at the gunman and fired one shot. The gunman fell and at least three or four more people armed with handguns walked toward the gunman.
“Unfortunately this country has seen so many of these that we’ve actually gotten used to them at this point,” said Jeff Williams, a regional director of the Texas Department of Public Safety. “I would like to point out that we have a couple of heroic parishioners who stopped short of anything you can even imagine and saved countless lives, our hearts are going out to them and their families as well.”
FBI Special Agent in Charge Matthew Desarno said investigators are still determining a motive. The
Department of Public Safety and the Texas Rangers will lead the investigation.
One person was revived and taken to the hospital, a MedStar spokeswoman said. Two others were treated at the scene for minor injuries after they hit their heads ducking for cover.
“A very tragic day when anybody in our community suffers, whether it’s a community that’s next to Fort Worth or in Fort Worth itself. Our hearts and prayers go out to all the families affected by this incident,” said Mike Drivdahl, a Fort Worth Fire Department spokesman.
“Our hearts go out to the victims and families of those killed in the evil act of violence that occurred at the West Freeway Church of Christ,” he said. “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.”
Guns in church
A Texas law went into effect in September 2017 that allows churches to hire armed guards. Attorney General Ken Paxton clarified that the law also allows licensed handgun owners to bring their firearms to church as long as the church does not oppose it.
The clarification was released in an opinion by Paxton after a November 2017 shooting at the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs. Twenty-six people were fatally shot, and another 20 were wounded.