At least 26 people have been killed and many more injured after a man walked into a Baptist church in Sutherland Springs, Texas, on Sunday and opened fire on worshippers.
Texas church shooting: suspect named as at least 26 confirmed dead – as it happened
At least 26 people are dead and 20 are injured after a gunman opened fire on a congregation in a small town in Texas on Sunday
The number of dead at the First Baptist church in the small town 30 miles south-east of San Antonio made the killing the worst mass shooting in modern Texas history and one of the worst gun rampages in recent years. The lone shooter was found dead after he was chased by locals and police across county lines.
“There are so many families who have lost family members, and it occurred in a church, in a place of worship,” the Texas governor, Greg Abbott, in a Sunday evening press conference. “That’s where these people were mown down. We mourn their loss.”
Twenty-three worshippers died inside the church, two outside and one after being taken to hospital. Many more injured were still being treated. The ages of the dead ranged from five to 72.
Law enforcement officials at the press conference did not name the gunman, though his name was reported as Devin Patrick Kelley elsewhere. The Air Force said Kelley, 26, served from 2010 to 2014 when he left following a court martial. He received a bad conduct discharge for assaulting his wife and child. Kelley lived in the town of New Braunfels, about 35 miles from Sutherland Springs. On Sunday night, police were at the property.
