More than 100 people gathered outside the post office here on Sunday night, just blocks away from the First Baptist Church where a lone gunman killed 26 members of this tight-knit community on Sunday, November 5, 2017 morning. It was the worst mass killing in the state’s history.
“Who are we going to be tomorrow?” Stephen Curry, a pastor from a nearby church, asked the crowd. “We’re going to be people of love.”
“Amen!” the audience exclaimed.
Mourners held candles and raised their open palms in the air as religious leaders urged them to help their neighbors heal. Reminders of the tragedy were all around them. Behind the vigil, the lights of a police car continued to flash, and the road toward the church remained blocked off.
Officials responded to reports of a gunman at the church at around 11:20 a.m. A young white male wearing black clothing and tactical gear ― identified in multiple media reports as 26-year-old Devin Patrick Kelley ― had opened fire with a Ruger assault-type rifle outside the church and then entered the building, walking to the front of the congregation, as he continued to fire. He kept firing as he walked out of the church’s back door.
At that point a resident began firing with his own weapon, causing the suspect to flee in his car, officials said. The suspect was later found dead of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound in his vehicle in nearby Guadalupe County. Multiple weapons were found inside in the vehicle.
“I don’t think they could have escaped. You’ve got your pews on either side,” Wilson County Sheriff Joe Tackitt Jr. said Sunday.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott confirmed that 26 people had been killed in the shooting during a press conference on Sunday afternoon. A pregnant woman and several children ― including the church pastor’s 14-year-old daughter ― were among the dead. At least 20 people were injured. The ages of the wounded and dead ranged from 5 to 72 years. A witness told San Antonio TV station KENS 5 that the fatalities accounted for about half of the church’s congregation.
The massacre took place exactly eight years after an Army psychiatrist killed 13 people on a U.S. military base in Fort Hood, Texas― just a few hours drive from Sutherland Springs.
Shocked community members were still reeling from the massacre that took place just hours before. They described the unincorporated community, home to cattle ranches and oil fields, as the type of place where everyone knows each other. People move there to avoid crime, residents told HuffPost.
“It’s a nice, quiet town. It’s respectful,” said former resident Pamela Padilla. “We don’t normally have any crime or anything … It was a small town, and quiet until today.”
“This has just been so devastating. It hasn’t hit home quite yet,” said resident Kelly Carter.
“It’s very small, quiet. Everyone knows each other,” said David Betancourt, 18. His friend was wounded in the shooting. The last Betancourt heard, he was undergoing surgery.
Families in tears wait to see if their family and friends are safe. Praying for the safety of all those involved. pic.twitter.com/yjzK7lZJ1S
— KSAT Max Massey (@MaxMasseyTV) November 5, 2017
Michael Ward had family members at the church that morning. When he heard that the killer had fled, he said he considered going after him. But when he saw the police en route, he went to the church with his wife Leslee to look for their family members.
The family of Ward’s brother Chris was severely affected, Ward said. Chris’ wife Joann is in surgery, as is Chris’ son Rylan and daughter Brooke. Chris’ daughter Emily is among the deceased, Ward said.
As of Sunday evening, authorities had not yet provided information about a possible motive for the suspect.
Kelley was previously a United States Air Force member who served in logistics readiness at Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico, from 2010 until his bad conduct discharge in 2014. He was court-martialed in 2012 for assault on his spouse and assault on their child. Law enforcement officials told media outlets that, despite his history, Kelley was able to purchase the weapon he used on Sunday from a San Antonio sporting goods store last year.
Read more at HuffPost
