Here’s what we know now about the church shooting in Sutherland Springs, Texas
A gunman opened fire Sunday at the First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs, Texas, in a rural area outside of San Antonio. Here’s what we know:
At least 26 people were killed, not including the gunman, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said Sunday night at a news conference. Of those, 23 died inside the church, two were killed outside the church and another victim was transported to a hospital and died, said Texas Department of Public Safety regional director Freeman Martin.
On Monday morning, Sheriff Joe Tackitt of Wilson County, where Sutherland Springs is located, told the USA TODAY Network that 12 to 14 children were among the victims and that about 20 people had been hospitalized. When asked if he expects the death toll to rise, Tackitt said he believes most of the people at the hospital are in stable condition.
“It’s just a horrific sight,” Tackitt said of the scene inside the church. “You don’t expect to walk into a church and see something like that, especially when all the bodies were there, and seeing the children. That’s what hurts the most.”
The gunman was identified as Devin Kelley, 26, of nearby Comal County, Texas, the Texas Department of Public Safety tweeted on Monday morning. Martin said police found the gunman dead in his car following a pursuit.
Martin said the Kelley was dressed in black and wore a ballistic vest. He began firing outside the church and then entered the building and continued firing. As he left the church, a local resident with a rifle challenged the gunman, who dropped his Ruger AR assault-type rifle and fled. The killer was pursued by residents for about 12 miles at speeds of up to 95 mph before he crashed his vehicle. Sheriff Tackitt said Kelley died from a self-inflicted gunshot.
Officials said they did not immediately know a motive for the attack. However, on Monday morning Sheriff Tackitt told CNN that Kelley had in-laws who attended the church. He said the in-laws were not present at the time of the massacre, but came to the church after hearing about the shooting.
The church, located about 25 miles east of San Antonio, normally posted video of its services online, Tackitt said. But he said there was “very little” video from Sunday’s service.
Air Force spokeswoman Ann Stefanek told USA TODAY that Kelley served in the 49th Logistics Readiness Squadron at Holloman Air Force Base in southern New Mexico from 2010 until he was discharged.
Kelley was court-martialed in 2012 for assaulting his spouse and their child. He received a bad-conduct discharge, was confined for 12 months and busted to the grade of E-1. He was discharged in 2014.
Names of the victims had not been released by Monday morning, but Martin said their ages range from 5 to 72 years old. However, it was reported that Annabelle Renee Pomeroy, the 14-year-old daughter of the church’s pastor, Frank Pomeroy, who was out of town with his wife when the rampage took place.
Sheriff Tackitt confirmed that a large number of people in one family had been killed, but didn’t say how many, describing it as “a pretty high number.”
Tackitt said he’s known the family “forever.” CNN reported that at least eight family members were killed.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton noted on CNN that Sunday’s shooting took place eight years to the day after the 2009 shooting rampage at Fort Hood, Texas, which unfolded about 150 miles north of Sutherland Springs.
In that shooting, Maj. Nidal Hasan, an Army doctor, killed 13 and wounded 32 in the deadliest domestic military attack in U. S. history.
Paxton said he wondered if there was a connection between the two shootings. “It’s just strange to me that it happened on the same day and in the same state,” he said.
President Trump tweeted from Japan: “May God be w/ the people of Sutherland Springs, Texas. FBI & law enforcement are on the scene. I am monitoring the situation from Japan.”
Trump has been briefed several times about the tragic shooting and continues to receive regular updates, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in a statement. Trump also spoke with Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, she said.
In a news conference with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan, Trump said Monday that better mental health care — not gun control — is the key to understanding the mass shooting. “This isn’t a guns situation,” he said.
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, tweeted that he spoke with to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott about the “horrific shooting,” and that state and federal law enforcement were working closely. “Prayers for all harmed. Truly evil,” Cruz said.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., tweeted that prayers are not enough. “After another unspeakable tragedy, Congress must act — or be complicit,” he said. Connecticut is where a gunman killed 20 children and six adults at Sandy Hook Elementary School in 2012.
Contributing: Kevin Johnson, John Bacon, Mary Bowerman, Matthew Diebel
