Gunman Kills 26 at South Texas Church

SUTHERLAND SPRINGS, Texas (AP) — A gunman dressed in black tactical-style gear and armed with an assault rifle opened fire inside a small South Texas church, killing 26 people in an attack that claimed tight-knit neighbors and multiple family members ranging in age from 5 to 72 years old. Once the shooting started Sunday at the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, a town of about 400 people, there was likely "no way" for congregants to escape, said Wilson County Sheriff Joe D. Tackitt Jr. Officials said about 20 others were wounded. "He just walked down the center aisle, turned around and my understanding was shooting on his way back out," said Tackitt, who said the gunman also carried a handgun but that he didn't know if it was fired. Tackitt described the scene as "terrible." "It's unbelievable to see children, men and women, laying there. Defenseless people," he said. Tackitt told CNN on Monday morning that the gunman's former in-laws attended services at the church "from time to time" but weren't in attendance Sunday. Texas officials confirmed the suspect as Devin Patrick Kelley, 26. They said he lived in New Braunfels, which is about 35 miles north of the Sutherland Springs church. Sutherland Springs A U.S. official told The Associated Press that Kelley didn't appear to be linked to organized terrorist groups. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity because the person wasn't authorized to discuss the inv...
Source: JEMS: Journal of Emergency Medical Services News - Category: Emergency Medicine Authors: Tags: Major Incidents News Mass Casualty Incidents Source Type: news