A gunman dressed all in black, and wearing a tactical gear including a bullet-proof vest, walked into a church in a small Texas church on Sunday and opened fire as the congregation were involved in weekly service – leaving at least 26 dead and about 20 others injured.
(Independent) – The mass shooting occurred at the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, about 30 miles from San Antonio, with President Donald Trump denouncing it as an “act of evil”. The victims ranged in age from five to 72, according to police.
One of those killed was 14-year-old Annabelle, the daughter of the church’s Pastor Frank Pomeroy. Pastor Pomeroy and his wife Sherri were not in town as the gunman stuck, arriving at a petrol station across the street from the church at around 11.20am local time.
The weekly service started at 11 am, with the congregation waiting to hear a sermon around the time the shooter arrived. The man, who police have not yet confirmed the identity of, has been named in US media as Devin Patrick Kelley, 26.
Police said the gunman crossed the street in his vehicle, got out and began firing using a Ruger AR assault-type rifle. He then moved to the right side of the church, continuing to fire and then into the building – still shooting bullets.
As he left, he was confronted by a resident who grabbed his rifle and then began to fire at him as he fled. The neighbour of the church then chased the shooter who left the scene in his vehicle before leaving the road at the border with Guadalupe County. He was found dead inside the vehicle, although authorities are not sure if the shooter died from a self-inflicted wound, or whether it was from the resident.
More on this story on the Independent website.
Follow us: @sidomex on Twitter | @sidomexuniversal on Facebook |@sidomexuniversal on Instagram
16 thoughts on “Gunman kills 26 worshipers in a US church”