The mass shooter who opened fire during Mass inside a Texas church killing at least 26 – including a two-year-old child – has been identified as a 26-year-old former Bible study teacher who was dishonorably discharged from the US Air Force for assaulting his wife and child.
Devin Patrick Kelley, a married father, walked into the First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs, dressed in black, tactical gear with a ballistics belt and an assault rifle, and began shooting, according to local law enforcement sources.
The attack only stopped when Kelley, 26, of New Braunfels, a suburb of San Antonio, was confronted by a heroic local man who shot at the mass shooter as he left the church. Kelley was reportedly killed by that same brave neighbor following a high speed car chase.
Wilson County Commissioner Albert Gamez Jr told CNN that at least 26 people were killed in the shooting, but the death toll is expected to climb. Victims include a two-year-old girl, a pregnant woman and the 14-year-old daughter of the pastor.
The Connally Memorial Medical Center said ‘multiple’ victims are being treated.
Kelley was a US Air Force veteran and former Bible studies teacher but his Facebook page, which has been deleted by the FBI, reveals he had a worrying fascination with weaponry.
He’d recently shared a photo of an AR-15 style gun on Facebook with the caption: ‘She’s a bad b***h.’
The 26-year-old was married to Danielle Shields, and they appear to have a child together. His mother-in-law, Michelle Shields, appears to have been a parishioner at the First Baptist Church and was friends on social media with the pastor’s wife.
A LinkedIn account which appears to be Kelley’s states that he joined the US Air Force after graduating New Braunfels High School in 2009. The Pentagon confirmed he was an airman ‘at one point,’ but did not release further details.
He worked in logistics and supply in the Air Force until he was kicked out for assaulting his wife and their child. Kelley was court-martialled for two counts of assaulting his spouse and kid, and received 12 months ‘confinement’ and a dishonorable discharge in 2014, CBS reported.
Kelley then volunteered as a teacher for Bible studies at Kingsville First Baptist Church, according to his LinkedIn which shows him posing which a young child.
Police are now investigating the possibility that Kelley was in a local militia group.
What we know about the shooter
- Named as Devin Patrick Kelley, 26-year-old white male, of New Braunfels, a suburb of San Antonio,
- Was found dead in a crashed car after a brief chase following the shooting
- Was dressed in all black, tactical gear with a ballistics belt and multiple weapons in his car
- Fired outside the church, then went into the church and continued to fire
- Resident near the church intervened, and knocked the gun out of Kelley’s hands, then chased him in his car
- Kelley showed off an AR-15 rifle on Facebook recently
- Served in the military in ‘cargo, demand and supply and distribution’ but was dishonorably discharged
- Was married and believed to have taught a Bible studies at Kingsville First Baptist Church
The first of Kelley’s 26 victims have been identified in the wake of the shooting. They include Annabelle Pomeroy, whose father – First Baptist Church Pastor Frank Pomeroy – had been out of town during the attack. The grieving dad told ABC he’s lost ‘one beautiful girl, and a ‘special child.’
Bryan Holcombe had been standing in for Frank Pomeroy as pastor when Kelley opened fire. Witnesses say he was the first victim to be struck by the shooter’s gunfire.
He was killed, alongside his wife of 25 years, Sunday school teacher Karla Holcombe, as well as their daughter and pregnant daughter-in-law, local residents reported.
The couple ran a canvas repair shop before retiring and had attended the church for 25 years.
‘My father was a good man and he loved to preach. He had a good heart. They knew where they were going. There’s peace in that,’ their son Scott Holcombe told the Herald-Tribune.
Mother-of-four Joann Ward and three of her children were also shot. Family have since told the Dallas News that Joann and two of her daughters, six-year-old Brooke and eight-year-old Emily have died.
Ward’s six-year-old stepson Rylan, who was shot four times, is still in hospital after undergoing emergency surgery. The mom’s eldest daughter Rihanna, 9, had the glasses shot off her face but escaped injury by hiding under a pew as shots rang out.
Authorities say that Kelley had turned up ready for combat on Sunday morning.
The gunman was spotted moments before the shooting, at around 11.20am, at a Valero gas station, ‘dressed in all black, tactical gear, wearing a ballistics belt’.
In a press conference, Texas Department of Public Safety Regional Director Freeman Martin, said Kelley had then ‘crossed the street to the church, exited his vehicle and began firing on the church. He moved to the right side of the church and continued to fire, and entered the church and continued to fire.’
But as he left the church, the unnamed local hero risked his life to stop him.
‘A local resident grabbed his rifle and engaged the suspect,’ Martin said. ‘The suspect dropped his rifle, which was a Ruger assault type rifle, and fled from the church. A local citizen pursued the subject at that time
Another local resident, Johnnie Langendorff, who had witnessed the gun battle, said that both he, and the unnamed neighbor, had jumped in his truck and gave chase.
In a Facebook post, Langendorff’s girlfriend Summer Caddel described how the pair had ‘jumped in my boyfriend’s truck and they chased that sick b*****d down in pursuit until the cops could catch up. He was able to run the shooter off of the road on 539!’
Langendorff told ABC 12 that he’d been speeding at 95mph, while on the phone to dispatch, while the neighbor kept his rifle trained on the gunman’s car.
As they approached a sharp curve in the road, near the 307 and 539, in Guadalupe County, he said Kelley appeared to lose control and his car swerved off the road.
‘That’s when I put the truck in park,’ he said, adding that the neighbor had then shot Kelley dead.
‘The other gentleman jumped out, and had his rifle on him. He didn’t move after that,’ he said.
Caddel added that Kelley was gunned down with a few feet from her boyfriend. Neither Langendorff nor the neighbor were injured.
He was found deceased by the cops who also discovered multiple weapons and possible explosives in his vehicle.
‘We are not sure if it was self inflicted or if he was shot by a local resident,’ said Texas Department of Public Safety Regional Director Freeman Martin.
San Antonio police also raided Kelley’s home on Sunday evening, with K9 and bomb squad units.
Martin said that 23 found dead inside the church, and another two bodies were recovered from outside the building. Another person, who was taken to hospital, died while receiving treatment.
The first responders on the scene were from local churches who began receiving texts from family and friends about the shooting.
Injuries range from minor to very severe, while victims were aged from five-years-old to 72.
It’s not yet clear how many were in church at the time of the shooting but Martin said some escaped
First Baptist Church Pastor Frank Pomeroy told ABC that his 14-year-old daughter is among the 26 dead. She ‘was one very beautiful, special child,’ the pastor said. His wife, Sherri Pomeroy, said her husband was out of town at the time of the shooting.
Amanda Mosel’s 13-year-old goddaughter was gunned down in the shooting. With tears in her eyes, the 34-year-old stood outside the Sutherland Springs Community Building where citizens gathered following the shooting.
She said she was sad she skipped church this morning, but she normally attends that sermon. ‘It’s a small, tight-knit church,’ she said.
A young man standing outside the Brooke Army Medical Center told MySA.com that he had been wounded in the shooting and that this father had been killed. His mother was in another hospital.
Many of the dead remained inside the small rural church Sunday evening, as crime scene investigators worked to reconstruct the scene.
‘My heart is broken,’ Gamez said. ‘We never think where it can happen, and it does happen. It doesn’t matter where you’re at. In a small community, real quiet and everything, and look at this, what can happen.’
At least 24 others were injured in the horrific shooting, including four kids from the same family.
Joann Ward and her six-year-old daughter Brooke attended the service and are missing and feared dead, KATU reports.
Ward’s six-year-old stepson Rylan, is currently undergoing emergency surgery in hospital after he was reportedly shot four times; in the arm, stomach and scrotum. Her eight-year-old daughter Emily is also in emergency surgery, while nine-year-old daughter Rihanna escaped injury by hiding under a pew as shots rang out.
It is believed to have been the worst shooting at a place of worship in American history.
Authorities declined to officially name any of the deceased victims on Sunday evening, as they worked to secure the crime scene and notify victims’ families.
‘We don’t know names of any of the victims at this time because we’re still trying to work the crime scene,’ said Wilson County Sheriff Joe Tackitt.
Residents of the community gathered for an emotional candlelight vigil on Sunday night as the names of the victims began to emerge.
‘I’ve known her since she was about eight years old,’ resident Gloria Rodriguez Ximenez told CNN of the 14-year-old pastor’s daughter who died.
‘There’s no words to describe how wonderful people they are – Christian. It’s just a small Christian town, everybody knows each other, everybody supports each other,’ she said.
A woman wrote on Facebook that she saw the man flee the scene in his vehicle before crashing it not far from her daughter’s house.
San Antonio Police Department reportedly sent in their bomb squad to investigate an SUV abandoned in Guadalupe County, near Sutherland Springs, which is believed to have belonged to the shooter, News 4 San Antonio reports.
Police could not give an exact number of victims shot in the attack, but witnesses said they heard as many as 20 shots fired. It appears that almost everyone in the church during the service was shot.
Dana Fletcher, who owns a store in Sutherland Springs, told CNN: ‘It’s just awful…there were emergency responders everywhere.’
Neighbors in the area said they may have heard the shooter reload multiple times. Another witness at the scene said a two-year-old was also shot in the attack.
Sutherland Springs is a rural community in Wilson County, Texas, that’s made up of about 400 people. It’s located about 30 miles southeast of San Antonio. There are 11 hotels in the area, and there used to be a 52-floor facility, but it closed in 1923.
Texas Congressman Vicente Gonzalez told MSNBC that officials said they ‘won’t have final numbers until probably a few more hours’.
He said that based on what he knew, he did not believe the incident was related to terrorism, but ‘was some kind of other incident that has to do with the church or the community’.
Carrie Matula, who works at a gas station near the church, told MSNBC that she heard ‘semiautomatic gunfire’ and looked to see what was going on.
‘I never thought it would happen here,’ Matula said. ‘This is something that happens in a big city. I would never have thought this would have taken place here. It’s just too tight a community. It doesn’t make sense.’
President Donald Trump sent his condolences to the Sutherland Springs community. He also said he will continue to monitor the situation from Japan.
‘Victims and their families were in their sacred place of worship. We cannot put into words the pain and grief we all feel,’ he said in a televised statement from Japan, urging everyone to ‘stand strong, oh so strong.’
‘In dark times such as these, Americans do we what do best and we pull together. We lock hands and we joins arms. Through the tears and through the sadness we stand strong.’
The president pledged his full support to the state of Texas and the local communities affected by Sunday’s attack.
‘We offer our thanks to the first responders, to the FBI, all of the many people involved. I will continue to follow the developments closely. All of America is praying to God to help the wounded and the family of the victims.’
‘God bless the people of Sutherland Springs, TX. Our country’s hearts are breaking for the victims & their families. We love & are with you!’ Ivanka Trump tweeted after learning of the shooting.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott released a statement following the shooting.
‘While the details of this horrific act are still under investigation, Cecilia and I want to send our sincerest thoughts and prayers to all those who have been affected by this evil act.
‘I want to thank law enforcement for their response and ask that all Texans pray for the Sutherland Springs community during this time of mourning and loss.’
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said in a statement: ‘The thoughts and prayers of all Texans are with the people of Sutherland Springs as tragic reports come out of First Baptist Church.’
‘Please join Angela and me as we pray for those impacted by this horrific shooting,’ Paxton said.
Texas Sen Ted Cruz tweeted: ‘Keeping all harmed in Sutherland Springs in our prayers and grateful for our brave first responders on the scene.’
‘It’s something we all say does not happen in small communities, although we found out today it does,’ said Joe Tackitt, the sheriff of Wilson County, which includes Sutherland Springs, in a press conference.
Photos show families tearfully praying outside their community building as they wait to see if their family and friends are safe.
There were at least six helicopters called in to transport victims to the hospital.
Megan Posey, a spokeswoman for Connally Memorial Medical Center, which is in Floresville and about 10 miles from the church, said ‘multiple’ victims were being treated for gunshot wounds.
She declined to give a specific number but said it was less than a dozen. Some victims were taken by medical helicopter to the Brooke Army Medical Center.
The University Health System also said in a tweet that their ‘trauma team is caring for nine of the patients from the Sutherland Springs shooting, 4 children, 5 adults, + 1 more patient on the way’.
Special agents from ATF’s Houston Field Division, San Antonio Field Office were also on the scene along with the FBI.
