6 Dead in Texas Springs Church Shooting.
11-05-2017, 08:10 PM
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The shooting occurred at the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs in Wilson County, about 65 kilometres east of San Antonio.
The gunman, wearing a bullet-proof vest and carrying an assault rifle, opened fire around 20 minutes after the Sunday morning service was scheduled to start.
Authorities said a civilian with a gun shot at him as he left and chased him away. The gunman was later found dead in his vehicle.
"We are dealing with the largest mass shooting in our state's history," Texas Governor Greg Abbott said.
"The tragedy of course is worsened by the fact that it occurred in a church, a place of worship where these people were innocently gunned down."
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VIDEO: Emergency services converged on the church after the shooting. (ABC News)
Officials did not identify the attacker during a news conference, but two other officials, one a US official and one in law enforcement, who were briefed on the investigation identified him as 26-year-old Devin Kelley.
How 26 people died in this church
What we know about the Sunday morning church service that one man turned into the worst massacre in Texan history.
The US official said Kelley lived in a San Antonio suburb and did not appear to be linked to organised terrorist groups.
The official said investigators are looking at social media posts Kelley may have made in the days before Sunday's attack, including one that appeared to show an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle.
A Department of Public Safety official said at the news conference that investigators were not ready to discuss a possible motive for the attack.
He said the dead ranged in age from five to 72 years old. Twenty-three were found dead in the church, two were found outside and one died after being taken to a hospital.
Tragic.The most recent development: The shooter was a former member of the US Airforce. After the Mandalay Bay shooting, I'll be watching closely to see how the authorities handle this investigation.
