UPDATE:
Texas Department of Safety Regional Director Freeman Martin recounted the harrowing crime to a standing-room only press conference, aired live across several media outlets.
“We have certain facts we can release to protect the integrity of the investigation. We have to release it in a timely fashion, and collect our information to insure our information is correct,” he began.
“At approximately 11:20am this morning, a suspected was seen at a Valero gas station in Sutherland Springs, Texas dressed in all black. That suspect crossed the street to the church, exited his vehicle, and began firing at the church. That suspect then moved to the right side of the church and continued to fire. That suspected entered the church and continued to fire.”
He continued:
As he exited the church, a local resident grabbed his rifle and engaged that suspect. The suspect dropped his rifle, which was a Rutger A-R assault-type rifle and fled from the church.
Our local citizen pursued the suspect at that time.
A short time later, as law enforcement responded, that suspect, right at the Wilson-Guadalupe County line – he ran off the roadway and crashed out, and was found deceased in his vehicle.
At this time, we don’t know if it was a self-inflicted gunshot wound, or if it was out local resident, who engaged him in gunfire.
The suspect has not been completely identified. We believe he;s a young, white male, maybe in his early in his early twenties. He was dressed in all-black, tactical-type gear, and was wearing a ballistic vest.
The delay to getting his identified, is that there were multiple weapons in the vehicle, and the vehicle is being processed by out Texas Ranger Special Operations Group Bomb Techs.
Martin added that 23 deceased victims were found inside the church, two deceased victims were found outside the church, and one severely injured victims died in transport to the hospital.
UPDATE:
Local authorities say that the killer has been identified as Devin Patrick Kelly, according to CBS News.
JUST IN: Suspect in Texas church shooting has been identified as Devin Patrick Kelley, sources tell CBS News https://t.co/iB6zuuPslE pic.twitter.com/gimMKQa17p
— CBS News (@CBSNews) November 5, 2017
The Daily Beast reports that a LinkedIn account appearing to belong to Kelley describes him as serving in the U.S. Air Force from his 2009 high-school graduation until 2013, after which he briefly taught at a summer Bible school.
A beautiful Sunday morning was shattered when a gunman opened fire on the congregation of the First Baptist Church in the tiny Texas town Sutherland Springs.
Several media outlets are reporting upward of 27 people have died, with perhaps as many as 30 people injured.
Neighbors say they heard shooter may have reloaded multiple times, around 50 people usually at service pic.twitter.com/tkAYMp2Y8A
— Max Massey (@MaxMasseyTV) November 5, 2017
In addition to local law enforcement, the FBI is on the scene to help piece together what happened.
FBI just arrived on the scene. The scene is getting pushed back. pic.twitter.com/vyIyNPZHou
— Max Massey (@MaxMasseyTV) November 5, 2017
The Daily Mail reports:
Witnesses said a man ‘in full gear’ walked inside the church and opened fire just before 11.30 am.
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. She said he then ran on foot and was pursued by police.
The shooter was killed after the brief foot chase into Guadalupe County, according Guadalupe County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Robert Murphy.
But it’s still unclear if the gunman shot himself or was taken down by authorities.
The suspect, who has not been identified, is dead and there is no longer an active shooter threat, according to police.
Social media is afire with unconfirmed reports that the shooter – now dead – was a member of the church who first murdered his parents hours earlier.
