Mass Shooting at Small-Town Church in Texas
A man dressed in all black tactical-style gear and body armor, armed with a semi-automatic rifle opened fire at First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas, killing, 26 people and wounding about 20 others.
The gunman was officially identified as Devin Patrick Kelley, a 26-year-old from the neighboring county.
Freeman Martin, Department of Public Safety Regional Director, told NBC News, Kelley crossed the street from a Valero gas station, fired at the church and entered the church, firing from a Ruger AR rifle. He dropped his rifle and fled when confronted by an armed resident.
After the attack, Governor Greg Abbott stated, "There are so many families who've lost family members, fathers, mothers, sons and daughters.” He continued, "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. We mourn their loss, but we support their family members."
The attack was one of the deadliest mass shootings the state has ever seen, but it's far from the first time a church, temple, mosque or other house of worship has been the scene of such violence. Earlier this year, Emanuel Kidega Samson, 25, was charged with killing a woman and wounding six other people with gunshots at Burnette Chapel Church of Christ in Nashville, Tennessee.
These recent tragedies, have made local churchgoers in our community more aware of a possible attack.
Will County local and head of junior high ministry at Three Rivers Church in Plainfield, Mat Tuck, stated “The shooting is incredibly sad. The lives of men, women and children were taken. It makes me sick thinking about the loss of innocent lives.”
When asked about safety concerns at his church, Tuck continued, “There are always safety concerns when you gather together in public. We see shootings at schools, concerts and even churches.”
Tuck continued to say, that the fear of a gunman won’t stop him or his parish from “fellowshipping together on Sunday mornings.”
