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Sutherland Springs church shooting

Coordinates: 29°16′24″N 98°03′23″W / 29.2732°N 98.0564°W / 29.2732; -98.0564
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Sutherland Springs church shooting
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First Baptist Church
First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs
LocationFirst Baptist Church, 216 4th Street, Sutherland Springs, Texas, United States
Coordinates29°16′24″N 98°03′23″W / 29.2732°N 98.0564°W / 29.2732; -98.0564
DateNovember 5, 2017 (2017-11-05)
≈11:20 a.m. (CST)
Attack type
Mass shooting
WeaponRuger AR-556 rifle
Deaths26
Injured20
PerpetratorDevin Patrick Kelley (deceased)

On November 5, 2017, a mass shooting took place at the First Baptist Church in the unincorporated community of Sutherland Springs, Texas, about 35 miles (56 km) east of the city of San Antonio.[1][2] Twenty-six people were killed and a further 20 were injured. It is the deadliest shooting in an American place of worship, surpassing the Charleston church shooting of 2015 and the Waddell, Arizona Buddhist temple shooting of 1991.[3]

Shooting

At approximately 11:20 a.m. CST, a man wearing black tactical gear including a ballistic vest and wielding a semi-automatic rifle exited a vehicle at a gas station across the street from the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas, and immediately began firing in the direction of the church.[4] After crossing the street, he approached the building from the right while firing, and continued to fire while entering the church.[5] He used a Ruger AR-556 semi-automatic rifle according to law enforcement officials.[6][7][8] The "semi-automatic gunfire" was heard by a witness.[9]

As the gunman left the church, a local resident armed with a rifle shot at him,[10] and may have injured him.[5] The gunman dropped his rifle and fled in his car. The resident flagged down a car driving by, and the driver and resident pursued him at high speed for about five to seven minutes. The gunman lost control of his car and drove off the road in neighboring Guadalupe County,[11] near the city of New Berlin.[12] He was observed to be motionless by the two men in pursuit. According to one of them, police took over the scene when they arrived.[13] The gunman was found dead by police in his car from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.[14][10][2][15]

Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents from nearby San Antonio, along with agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, did not establish a motive. Police said the shooting was part of a domestic dispute, not terrorism or a racially motivated attack.[16][5][2]

Victims

The Sunday church service is usually attended by approximately 50 people.[5] During the shooting, 26 people were killed and 20 others were injured.[17] Among the casualties, 23 died inside the church, two outside, and one in a hospital.[17] The ages of the deceased ranged from 18 months to 77 years old.[16][17] Several children were killed, one of them the 14-year-old daughter of church pastor Frank Pomeroy, who was not at the church at the time. A pregnant woman was killed, as was the visiting pastor.[16][18][19]

The victims were taken to Connally Memorial Medical Center in Floresville, University Hospital in San Antonio, and Brooke Army Medical Center in Fort Sam Houston.[20]

Perpetrator

Devin Patrick Kelley
Died(2017-11-05)November 5, 2017
Guadalupe County, Texas, U.S.[citation needed]
Cause of deathSelf-inflicted gunshot wound
Alma materNew Braunfels High School[citation needed]
OccupationSecurity guard (2017)
EmployerSchlitterbahn (2017)
Military career
Service/branch United States Air Force
Years of service2009–2014
RankAirman basic[citation needed]

The perpetrator was identified as 26-year-old Devin Patrick Kelley,[21] described as a "young, white male" by police.[5] Kelley was formerly a U.S. Air Force member who served in logistics readiness at Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico from 2009 until 2014. In 2012, he was court-martialed on two counts of Article 128 UCMJ, for assaulting his wife and her child.[22][23] He was sentenced to 12 months of confinement and a reduction to the lowest service pay grade of E-1. In 2014, he was dismissed with a bad conduct discharge.[24][25][26]

Kelley lived in New Braunfels, about 35 miles (56 km) from Sutherland Springs. He married in April 2011, and divorced in October 2012.[27] He married again on April 4, 2014,[28] to Danielle Lee Shields, who taught Sunday School at the church.[29] His mother-in-law has a Sutherland Springs mailing address,[30] and is reportedly a parishioner at the First Baptist Church.[31][32] According to preliminary news reports, Kelley might have had a personal connection to one or more persons at the church he targeted.[33] His wife's grandmother, Lula Woicinsky White, was killed by him during the attack.[34][better source needed] According to several news outlets, people who knew Kelley said he was constantly "trying to preach his atheism" and describing people who believe in God as "stupid".[32][35]

According to several media reports, Kelley had worked at the Schlitterbahn Waterpark and Resort in New Braunfels, and was licensed by the Texas Department of Public Safety as a security guard.[36][37][38]

On October 29, a week before the shooting, Kelley posted a photo of an assault rifle on his Facebook profile.[39]

Reactions

United States President Donald Trump was in Japan at the time of the attack; he tweeted: "May God be w/ the people of Sutherland Springs, Texas. The FBI & law enforcement are on the scene. I am monitoring the situation from Japan."[40][41]

Texas Governor Greg Abbott confirmed the death toll, and stated that the event was the worst mass shooting in the history of Texas. "This will be a long, suffering mourning for those in pain," he said at a news conference on the day of the shooting. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton proposed that churches employ professional armed security guards, or at least arm more parishioners, to counter church shootings, which he said have happened "forever" and will again.[42]

Fake news websites and internet forums such as 4chan immediately began publishing misleading stories about the incident,[43] such as giving the wrong name of the shooter,[43] identifying the shooter as a Democrat or a Muslim,[43] or stating that the shooter carried an Antifa flag and told churchgoers "this is a communist revolution."[33][44]

See also

References

  1. ^ Shadrock, Chris, Erica Hernandez, Max Massey, and Van Darden (November 5, 2017). "Man who opened fire in Sutherland Springs church now dead, police say". KSAT. Archived from the original on November 5, 2017. Retrieved November 5, 2017. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  2. ^ a b c Andone, Dakin, Kaylee Hartung, and Sheena Jones. "FBI responding to scene of a shooting outside San Antonio, Texas". CNN. Archived from the original on November 5, 2017. Retrieved November 5, 2017. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  3. ^ Weill, Kelly (November 5, 2017). "Deadliest Church Shooting in American History Kills More Than 20 in Texas". The Daily Beast. Archived from the original on November 6, 2017. Retrieved November 5, 2017. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  4. ^ Gajanan, Mahita (November 5, 2017). "What to Know About Suspected Texas Church Shooter Devin Kelley". Time. Archived from the original on November 6, 2017. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  5. ^ a b c d e "'Mass shooting' at church in Texas". BBC News. November 5, 2017. Archived from the original on November 5, 2017. Retrieved November 5, 2017. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  6. ^ Carissimo, Justin (November 5, 2017). "As shooting at First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs leaves 26 dead – live stream, updates". CBS News. Archived from the original on November 6, 2017. Retrieved November 5, 2017. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  7. ^ Ahmed, Saeed (November 5, 2017). "This man may have prevented the Texas mass shooting from getting any deadlier". CNN. Retrieved November 6, 2017. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)
  8. ^ Lawrence, J.P. (November 5, 2017). "Shooter's weapon described as AR-15 variant". San Antonio Express-News. Retrieved November 6, 2017. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)
  9. ^ "Texas church shooting leaves 26 dead". BBC News. November 5, 2017. Archived from the original on November 5, 2017. Retrieved November 5, 2017. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  10. ^ a b Toppo, Greg (November 6, 2017). "Sutherland Springs: Who was suspected church shooter Devin Kelley?". USA Today. Archived from the original on November 6, 2017. Retrieved November 6, 2017. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  11. ^ O'Connor, Lydia; Visser, Nick (November 6, 2017). "Devin Patrick Kelley Identified As Texas Church Shooting Suspect: Reports". HuffPost. Archived from the original on November 6, 2017. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  12. ^ "Texas church attack leaves 26 dead: Shooter Devin Kelley served in the US Air Force, was dishonourably discharged". Firstpost. November 6, 2017. Archived from the original on November 6, 2017. Retrieved November 6, 2017. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  13. ^ Danner, Chas (November 5, 2017). "26 Dead After Mass Shooting at South Texas Church". New York. Archived from the original on November 5, 2017. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  14. ^ "Sutherland Springs: Who was suspected church shooter Devin Kelley?". KSDK. November 6, 2017. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)
  15. ^ Nestel, M. L. (November 5, 2017). "At least 20 dead and 30 injured in Texas church shooting". ABC News. Archived from the original on November 5, 2017. Retrieved November 5, 2017. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  16. ^ a b c Wagner, Meg (November 6, 2017). "Texas church shooting: Live updates". CNN. Retrieved November 6, 2017.
  17. ^ a b c "Multiple dead in shooting at church in Sutherland Springs, Texas -- live updates". CBS News. Archived from the original on November 5, 2017. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  18. ^ Keneally, Meghan; Delmoro, Michael (November 5, 2017). "14-year-old daughter of pastor among victims in Texas church shooting, father says". ABC News. Archived from the original on November 6, 2017. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  19. ^ Mele, Christopher (November 5, 2017). "Texas Church Shooting Leaves More Than 20 Dead, Official Says". The New York Times. Archived from the original on November 5, 2017. Retrieved November 5, 2017. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  20. ^ Andone, Dakin; Hartung, Kaylee; Jones, Sheena (November 5, 2017). "At least 20 people killed in shooting at Texas church". CNN. Archived from the original on November 5, 2017. Retrieved November 5, 2017. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |dead-url= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  21. ^ Rosenfeld, Everett; David, Javier E. (November 5, 2017). "Authorities identify gunman in the Texas church massacre". CNBC. Archived from the original on November 6, 2017. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  22. ^ "More than two dozen parishioners killed in rural Texas church shooting". NBC News. Archived from the original on November 6, 2017. Retrieved November 6, 2017. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  23. ^ Losey, Stephen; Vertuno, Jim (November 5, 2017). "Texas church attacker identified as former airman Devin Kelley". Army Times. Associated Press. Retrieved November 6, 2017.
  24. ^ Winter, Jana; Weill, Kelly; Bertness, Sarah (November 5, 2017). "Devin Patrick Kelley ID'd as Sutherland Springs Church Killer". The Daily Beast. Archived from the original on November 6, 2017. Retrieved November 6, 2017. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  25. ^ Medina, Mariah (November 5, 2017). "Here's everything we know about the Sutherland Springs church shooting". Sutherland Springs, Texas: KSAT. Archived from the original on November 6, 2017. Retrieved November 6, 2017. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  26. ^ Carlson, Adam A.; Pelisek, Christine (November 5, 2017). "Texas Church Shooter Reportedly ID'd as Air Force Vet, 26, Once Accused of Assaulting Spouse". People. Retrieved November 6, 2017.
  27. ^ Barnitz, Katy. "NM court documents detail Devin Kelley's divorce". Albuquerque Journal. Archived from the original on November 6, 2017. Retrieved November 6, 2017. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  28. ^ "Danielle Lee Shields Devin Patrick Kelley's Wife". Dailyentertainmentnews.com. November 5, 2017. Retrieved November 6, 2017.
  29. ^ Giaritelli, Anna (November 6, 2017). "High School Classmates". Washington Examiner. Retrieved November 6, 2017.
  30. ^ Tomlinson, Lucas. "Texas church shooting: Who is gunman Devin Patrick Kelley?". Fox News Channel. Archived from the original on November 6, 2017. Retrieved November 6, 2017. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  31. ^ "Photo". First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs, Texas. December 18, 2016 – via Facebook.
  32. ^ a b Watson, Leon (November 6, 2017). "Have-a-go-heroes shot Sutherland Springs gunman and helped prevent further victims". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved November 6, 2017.
  33. ^ a b Mikkelson, David (November 5, 2017). "Was the Texas Church Shooter an Antifa Member Who Vowed to Start Civil War?". Snopes.com. Retrieved November 6, 2017.
  34. ^ "Amy Backus". November 5, 2017 – via Facebook.
  35. ^ "Who was Sutherland Springs gunman Devin Patrick Kelley?". BBC. November 6, 2017. Retrieved November 6, 2017.
  36. ^ Perez, Chris (November 6, 2017). "Texas shooter had ties to church through family members". New York Post. Retrieved November 6, 2017. {{cite web}}: |archive-date= requires |archive-url= (help)
  37. ^ "Church gunman was kicked out of Air Force, convicted of domestic violence". Houston Chronicle. November 5, 2017. Retrieved November 6, 2017. {{cite web}}: |archive-date= requires |archive-url= (help)
  38. ^ Tedesco, John; Contreras, Guillermo; Christenson, Sig (November 5, 2017). "Suspected gunman Devin Patrick Kelley lived near New Braunfels, had been court martialed in the Air Force". San Antonio Express-News. Retrieved November 6, 2017. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)
  39. ^ Silva, Cristina (November 5, 2017). "Who Is Devin Patrick Kelley? Former Air Force Member Kills Dozens in Texas Baptist Church Shooting". Newsweek. Archived from the original on November 6, 2017. Retrieved November 6, 2017. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  40. ^ Pilkington, Ed (November 5, 2017). "'Multiple deaths' in shooting at Baptist church in south Texas – sheriff". The Guardian. Archived from the original on November 5, 2017. Retrieved November 5, 2017. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  41. ^ Trump, Donald J. [@realDonaldTrump] (November 5, 2017). "May God be w/ the people of Sutherland Springs, Texas. The FBI & law enforcement are on the scene. I am monitoring the situation from Japan" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  42. ^ Beckett, Lois (November 6, 2017). "Texas attorney general: congregations should be armed after church shooting". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved November 6, 2017.
  43. ^ a b c Ansari, Talal (November 5, 2017). "Here Is The Misinformation Going Around About The Texas Church Shooting". BuzzFeed News. Retrieved November 6, 2017.
  44. ^ Hayden, Michael Edison (November 5, 2017). ""Antifa" Responsible for Sutherland Springs Murders, According to Far-Right media". Newsweek. Retrieved November 6, 2017.
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