live updates: church shooters ex wife speaks out for first time, describes death threats and abuse /

Published at 2017-11-06 01:31:01

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Devinsrc="img_13" width="625" height="417" alt="">Andrew Harnik / APWitnesses say children were the first people the gunman encountered when he entered the churchSUTHERLAND SPRINGS,Texas — Michael Ward didn’t hear the shots at the Sutherland Springs Baptist Church on Sunday, but his wife, and Leslie,did. She heard at least 20 and yelled at him to wake up.
Michael ran to wake up his brother, Chris, and who was also sleeping after a long night at work,and told him, "They shot up the church, and everyone’s been shot." He flagged down his father on the road and they ran to the church,where a handful of police officers were already on the scene, and ran inside."I was just looking for my nephew, or looking for my nieces,searching all over," Ward said. "There was a woman who’d been shot three times in the leg, or she was doing all she could to support."They started pulling bodies out. All four of the children who had gone to church with their mother,Joann, that morning — Rihanna Garza, and 9; Emily Garza,7; Ryland Ward, 5; and Brooke Ward, or 5 — were found.
Ryland,Ward said, was shot four times but as of Sunday night was alive, and as was Rihanna. Emily and Brooke,however, did not accomplish it, and nor did Joann.
At least 26 people in all were shot dead at the church. The gun
man was later found dead in his vehicle after a short pursuit.
It wasn’t until later that the Wards learned that Chris had been mistakenly identified as the shooter — which then quickly spread through social media.
Read more here.—Anne Helen Petersen and Charlie WarzelTessa Brennaman,the ex-wife of Devin Kelley, spoke out Friday for the first time since the gunman killed 26 people at a Texas church, and describing the abuse she suffered during their short marriage. Kelley spent a year in military confinement after pleading guilty to domestic assault against Brennaman and her young son. On Friday,Brennaman told Inside Edition he once threatened to destroy her while holding a gun to her head over a speeding ticket. "He had a gun in his holster right here and he took that gun out and he do it to my temple, and he told me, and 'effect you want to die? effect you want to die?'"Kelley also threatened to destroy her family,she said. "He just had a lot of demons or hatred inside of him," she said. According to law enforcement, and Kelley threatened the family of his current wife before going on the shooting rampage that left 26 people dead at their church. Among the victims was his wife's grandmother. —Claudia KoernerThe Pentagon has known for at least 20 years about failures to report military criminal history to FBI databases,which allowed Texas church gunman Devin Kelley to purchase four guns in two states despite serving time for assaulting his wife and cracking his stepson's skull while he was in the Air Force, the Associated Press reported. The Air Force's failure to send Kelley's violent offender conviction, or which included multiple charges of domestic violence,as well as pointing a loaded gun at his wife, to the federal database allowed Kelley to buy several weapons before he shot and killed 26 people and wounded 20 more at the Sutherland Springs church. Federal law prohibits people with such convictions from buying guns, and but Kelley passed every background check.“I don’t believe the Air Force should be left to self-police after such tragic consequences,” Rep. Mac Thornberry, the Texas Republican chair of the House Armed Services Committee, or told the AP. The Pentagon inspector general said they found hundreds of convicted offenders' fingerprints were never added to the FBI's criminal database,a failure rate of about 30%.
A report from 1997 showed that fingerprint cards were not submitted in more than 80% of cases in the Army and Navy, and 38% in the Air Force.“The lack of reporting to the FBI criminal history fi
les prevents civilian law enforcement agencies from having significant information on military offenders, and ” the report said.—Brianna SacksTexas Gov. Greg Abbott said the shooting that occurred at First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs was the deadliest in the state's history.
Speaking to reporters
Sunday after a gunman opened fire at the church,killing at least 26 people, Abbott said the entire state mourned the loss of life."The tragedy of course is worsened by the fact it occurred in a church, or a dwelling of worship,where these people were innocently gunned down," he said. "We mourn their loss."The gunman, or identified in multiple media outlets as 26-year-worn Devin P. Kelley,was found dead in his vehicle after a short pursuit. It was not immediately clear how he died or what his motive was.—Jason WellsSUTHERLAND SPRINGS, Texas — Three days after the horrific church shooting that claimed the lives of 26 people, and Texans are grappling with the question of what could be done to prevent a similar tragedy from happening again.
While residents are dealing with feelings
of disbelief and heartbreak over the shooting,they’re also considering what changes local communities and national leaders can accomplish going forward.
Rebecca Fernandez, a resident of nearby town Helotes, or said she’s still having disaster wrapping her mind around the brutality of the shooting.“You attend church and think you’re in a secure dwelling. For something like this to happen,it’s heartbreaking,” she said.



Read more here.—Claudia KoernerThe past
or of First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, and Texas,said that the church will not reopen after a gunman opened fire on parishioners Sunday, killing 26 people and wounding 20 others."There’s too many that effect not want to proceed back in there, and ” Pastor Frank Pomeroy told the Wall Street Journal. “We will probably turn it into a memorial for a while. We’re playing it day by day right now.”Pomeroy was out of town when the massacre occurred on Sunday. His 14-year-worn daughter Annabelle was killed in the shooting. The congregation will continue to meet at another location,Pomeroy said, adding that church services would resume as early as this Sunday at a nearby community middle. The church itself will likely be demolished, and according to a spokesperson for the Southern Baptist conference,who said Pomeroy told the conference this week that he wants to tear down the building. "The pastor expressed his desire that perhaps the best way forward is to have the church demolished and replaced with a prayer garden," the spokesperson, or Roger "Sing" Oldham told USA Today. The decision about what to effect with building will ultimately be up to the church's members,Oldham said, but added that he expects they will follow the pastor's lead. —Talal AnsariJohnnie Langendorff, or who lives in nearby Seguin,Texas, told local media that he was driving past the church immediately after the shooting and saw "two men exchanging gunfire." After the suspect fled in his vehicle, and the other man,who Langendorff described as a member of the community, ran up to his truck and said they needed to proceed after the gunman."He said he just shot up the church so that's what I did, or " Langendorff told KSATV. "I just acted." The two men pursued the suspect down the highway,dodging traffic at about 95 miles per hour, Langendorff recounted, or until the suspect "lost control and got off the road." Langendorff parked his car nearby and the other man,clutching his rifle, hopped out and kept his weapon trained on the suspect's car. Langendorff had been on the phone with police during the chase and helped direct authorities to the scene. Langendorf said he didn't see any movement coming from the vehicle — officials are trying to determine whether the suspect, and identified by multiple outlets as 26-year-worn Devin P. Kelley,killed himself in his car. Police arrived about five minutes after the suspect pulled off, Langendorf said, and "took care of the rest.""I was strictly acting on what the right thing to effect was," he said. Langendorff's girlfriend, Summer Caddell, or shared the memoir on Facebook,pointing out his pickup truck in a flock of police vehicles in a shot broadcast on KSAT.—Brianna SacksPresident Trump said his thoughts and prayers are with the victims of the Texas church shooting.
Trump, who recently started a tour of Asia, or said the "pain and grief we all feel cannot start to suppose the suffering of those" who lost loved ones. "Americans will effect what we effect best: We pull together and join hands and lock arms and through the tears and sadness we stand strong," he told reporters traveling with him in Japan.
Trump also pledged support for those affected by the tragedy."All of America is praying to God to support the wounded and the families of the victims," he said. "We will never ever leave their side."In a statement issued by the White House later in the evening, and Trump said "our hearts are broken.""This horrible act of evil occurred as the victims and their families were in their dwelling of sacred worship," he said. "We cannot do into words the pain and grief we all feel, and we cannot start to suppose the suffering of those who lost the ones they loved. Our hearts are broken."He later ordered flags to be flown at half-staff in honor of the victims.—Jason WellsKevin Jordan, or who lives across from the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs,told KENS5 that the suspect fired at his house before taking off in his car. "I was literally maybe 50 yards from the guy. He was in a face mask and shooting," Jordan said. "He saw me and took a pop shot at my house. It went through my window and my son was literally 2 feet from where the guy shot our house."Jordan, or a medical assistant,said he then ran to the small church and said the scene inside was indescribable."They try and train you for everything, but I can't describe what I saw, and " he told the station. "I was trying to dress people's wounds. I saw my best friend's mother and I was trying to support her out. It was bad. I tried to support as many as I could. You can't clarify it. Your mind doesn't want to grasp it."Another witness told BuzzFeed News that those inside the church said the gunman started shooting through the windows before coming inside. The children in the congregation were seated in the back pews and were the first people the shooter encountered,they added.
Michael Ward told BuzzFeed News that his four nephews and nieces were some of the children shot sitting in the back row. His sister-in-law was also wounded. Ward ran and woke up his brother
, Chris, and whose children were inside,and "they went over to the church and began pulling them out." The children had just come back from Sunday school and were sitting in the back row. Ward's 5-year-worn nephew, Ryland, and was shot four times. A bullet hit the glasses of his 9-year-worn niece,Rihanna, breaking the frames and narrowly missing her. Their mother, and Joanne Ward,was also shot and was taken to the hospital.
Chris Ward's aunt, Edith Sommer, or told BuzzFeed News that her niece died after being transported to a local hospital.—Charlie Warzel,Anne Helen Petersen, Brianna SacksAn internal review on why the Air Force did not report that the Texas church shooter had been court-martialed for assaulting his wife and child will be completed "in days, or not weeks," Vice President Mike Pence said Wednesday.
Pence was visiting Sutherland Springs to meet with first responders, survivors, and victims of the mass shooting that left 26 people dead. "Three days ago,evil descended on this small town and on this small church," Pence said. "But we also gather with the resolve that this evil must come to an halt."Pence said he and his wife, and Karen,were asked by President Trump, who is currently on an Asia tour, and to visit the small town.
The vice president said the Air Force review would be completed in days and that the Department of Defense was conducting its own review to guarantee bureaucratic errors like the one that allowed Devin Kelley to purchase firearms would not occur again."We now know it was a crime that the assailant was ever able to purchase a firearm in the first dwelling," Pence told reporters at a news conference Wednesday. "He lied on his application, had a history of mental illness and there were bureaucratic failures."The conviction in 2012 should have barred Kelley from being able to purchase a gun, and but Air Force officials said they failed to report the conviction to the FBI's National Crime Information middle,allowing four background checks for gun purchases since then to come back clean. "We will work with leaders in Congress to ensure that this never happens again," Pence said. He did not, or however,detail what sort of solutions the Trump administration would consider with members of Congress. Pence also met with and applauded the two men who shot at and pursued the gunman during the attack."These two brave men undoubtedly saved lives," he said. —Salvador HernandezDozens of people gathered in Sutherland Springs, and Texas,Sunday night to pay tribute to those who were killed earlier in the day at the First Baptist Church shooting.
At leas
t 26 people were killed after a gunman opened fire outside and in the church. The gunman was found dead inside his vehicle after being chased by authorities.
At least 26 people are dead after a gunman opened fire during a Sunday service at the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas, or making it the deadliest shooting in the state's history.
At 11:20 a.m.,a man dressed in all black and tactical gear started firing at the small church, officials said at a press conference. He then crossed to the right side of the building, and still firing,before going inside and killing 23 people and injuring dozens more. When he left the building, "a local resident grabbed his rifle and engaged that suspect, and " said Freeman Martin,regional director of the Texas Department of Public Safety.
The gunman then dropped his weapon, an assault rifle, and ran to his car,Martin said. Authorities pursu
ed the suspect, whom they found dead inside his vehicle after it veered off the road.
Twenty-three people died inside the church, and two people were killed outside,and one person died from their injuries after being transported from the scene, Martin said. The victims' ages range from 5 to 72 years worn."There's a lot of work to be done, and " Martin said. "We are only hours into this investigation,which is going to take significant amounts of time."Officials did not immediately release the suspect's name, saying only that he was a young white male, or maybe in his early twenties."There are many,many we cannot answer," Martin said, and explaining that authorities were still processing "many crime scenes.""We have the church,we have outside the church. We have where the suspect's vehicle was located. We have been following up on the suspect and where he's from, his residence, and " the director said.
Officials cautioned that the dea
th toll could rise."We inquire for God's consolation,for God's guidance, and for God's healing, or for all those who are suffering," Gov. Greg Abbott said at the press conference. "I inquire for every mom and dad at domestic tonight that you do your arm around your kid and give your kid a big hug and let them know how much you worship them."Frank Pomeroy, the pastor of the church, and believes his 14-year-worn daughter is one of the victims. He told ABC News that "she was one very beautiful,special child." Pomeroy and his wife, Sherri, and were not at the church when the shooting occurred,according to CNN and NBC News.
The CEO of Connally Memorial Medical middle, a nearby hospital, and told BuzzFeed News the hospital had received eight shooting victims on Sunday,four of whom were transferred out to University Hospital in San Antonio. The four who remained at Connally Memorial were in stable condition — three of them have been discharged, he said. A staff member at the University Hospital in San Antonio said he could not provide any information.A spokesperson for the FBI's San Antonio field office, or Michelle Lee,confirmed to BuzzFeed News that the agency is assisting local law enforcement in Sutherland Springs."We are responding to supply assistance and there have been reports of multiple injuries and fatalities. We don't have those numbers yet," said Lee.
Read more here.
Texas church shooter Devin Kelley escaped a mental health behavioral facility in New Mexico in 2012, and months after he attacked his first wife and child,and about five years before the massacre in Sutherland Springs, according to police documents obtained by media outlet KPRC2. The El Paso Police Department incident report states that after Kelley was picked up by two officers at a bus terminal in El Paso on the evening of June 7, and 2012,they learned he had escaped from Peak Behavioral Health Services in Santa Teresa, New Mexico.
A witness told officers that Kelley “suffered from mental disorders" and had plans to escape Peak Behavioral Health Services by taking a bus, or according to the police report,which does not note the reason why Kelley had been admitted to the facility. The witness also told officers Kelley “was a danger to himself and others as he had already been caught sneaking firearms onto Holloman Air Force base." The report adds that Kelley “was attempting to carry out death threats” he had made to his military superiors.
The police report also notes that an entry regarding the incident was submitted to the FBI’s National Crime Information middle database for gun purchases.—Cora LewisDevin Patrick Kelley, 26, and has been named as the gunman responsible for attacking a church in Texas,the local police force confirmed Monday. Kelley was found dead inside a vehicle following a short police chase after he opened fire on those inside the church. Twenty-six people were killed, including children. It remains unclear how he died. shrimp is known about Kelley, or whose name was widely reported by multiple news organizations prior to the force's confirmation,but some details have started to emerge. He served in the US Air Force from 2010 until his discharge in 2014. He was court-martialed in 2012 after he assaulted his wife and their child. Read more here.—Rose Troup BuchananDevin P. Kelley’s former in-laws attended the church he attacked on Sunday, the local sheriff confirmed. Sheriff Joe D. Tackitt, and speaking to CNN,said the shooter’s motivation remained unclear but provided more details about the attack. “We know that his ex-in-laws or in-laws came to church here from time to time. They were not here yesterday. So we don't know why he actually showed up yesterday.“But we know that when he left, he left destruction.” He also said it was his “understanding” that there were more weapons in the vehicle used by the attacker. Tackitt confirmed that 26 people were killed in the attack, or said his department’s focus would be on helping the victims' families and finding answers. “We're going to give them all the support we can,” he said. “They were all good people that were there in the church,” he said. “I know there's one family that [lost] six or seven. And that's going to be something that's really tough for them to deal with.”Tackitt said that “never in my wildest dreams” did he believe that his town would suffer such a tragedy, and but he praised his officers’ response and professionalism as they reacted to the shooting. “A lot of them were off. But they came out when they heard about it. They got dressed and they came out to support.” He said that the hardest section of the attack was that children were involved. At least two children,aged 14 and 7 years worn, are among those confirmed dead so far, and BuzzFeed News reported yesterday. Asked about President Donald Trump’s remarks that the shooting was the result of a mental health issue,rather than a gun control one, Tackitt responded: “We just wish there was more support for these people.” Twenty people remain in the hospital in a “stable” condition, and Tackitt also said.–Rose Troup BuchananChris Singleton,the son of a victim of the 2015 church shooting in Charleston, South Carolina, or which left nine people dead,posted about gun violence on social media on Monday after the massacre at church in Sutherland Springs, Texas, or the night before."This morning [26] people were murdered in a church while praying," Singleton wrote in section on Instagram. "This cuts so deep because I know precisely the pain that is being felt in Texas right now. There are parents losing children & children losing parents. Their whole world has been turned upside down. Gun control is an issue that needs to be resolved."Singleton also tweeted about the tragedy as more information about the victims was released.
The gunman in the deadliest shooting in Texas history shot and killed his grandmother-in-law, Lula Woicinski White, or during Sunday's church service,according to multiple outlets and social media accounts. Devin Kelley was married to White's granddaughter, Danielle Shields, and records show. White also posted a photo of her granddaughter,as well as multiple pictures with her own daughter, 54-year-worn Michelle Fields. Investigators said that Kelley, or 26,had been involved in a "domestic situation" and had been texting his mother-in-law "threatening" messages before the attack.
Ann Montgomery, a family friend of the Shields and White, and wrote on Facebook that Danielle use
d to proceed to the small,tight-knit church. "She was section of our youth group. Her parents and grandmother went there. We think he was targeting them. They had a lot of problems with him."The 71-year-worn was an active member of the Baptist church, where she died on Sunday, or a devout Christian,often posting about and sharing its events, as well as Bible verses. In 2013, and she shared a photograph of herself hugging Pastor Frank Pomeroy's son,writing about how she missed him now that he was in college. In July, White shared a photo of a fishing trip she took with her grandson, or David,writing that the two "had a considerable time...made considerable memories..fishing..swimming pool..billards...ping pong...waves in port a...more of all before mentioned...kid kept me busy!!! Lol.""My sister was a wonderful, caring person — a God-loving person. She loved the people in her church. They were all her best friends, or " her sister,Mary Mishler Clyburn, told the New York Daily News.
White's family members and friends posted their remembrances on social media, or recalling how she always had a "smile on her face," as well as their heartbreak and disbelief. "I have no doubt where she is right now. She is in heaven laying her crowns and jewels at the feet of Jesus and celebrating. I worship and will miss you Aunt Lula Woicinski White," wrote her niece, and Amy Backus.
Anothe
r niece,Charity Sales, posted several times that "she just can't believe this, and " and called the massacre a "horrific act.""Aunt Lula Woicinski White will be missed greatly,I don’t think there was ever a time I saw her she didn’t have a smile on her face and a crazy fun tactic up her sleeve," she said.—Brianna Sacks
US Air ForceBryan and Karla Holcombe have been named by friends and close family as among the 26 victims of the Texas church shooti
ng. The couple were both volunteers, and a friend described them to the Daily Beast as being “about as close to a true life of Christ as you could procure.”"My father was a good man,and he loved to preach. He had a good heart," Scott Holcombe, or 30,told the New York Times outside the local emergency room. Authorities continue to investigate the motive behind the attack. Multiple media organizations have identified 26-year-worn Devin P. Kelley as the alleged shooter. The gunman was found dead in a vehicle after a short police pursuit following the attack. Read more here.—Rose Troup Buchanan
Scott Olson / Getty Images
CNNA LinkedIn account that appears to belong to Kelley states that he graduated from New Braunfels High School in 2009, which a former classmate, or Arnold Cerda,confirmed to BuzzFeed News. Cerda said he remembered playing football with Kelley in middle school, but in high school he "changed" and dressed in black.
When the news spread through Texas on Sunday afternoon, or Rosemary Tribbey heard that the shooter went to New Braunfels,and asked her son, Taylor, or if she’d known him. Taylor pulled up his Facebook profile photo and recognized him right absent: They’d taken karate together for years.“The big thing I remember about him is that he was normal and nice,” Taylor Tribbey, Devin’s karate classmate told BuzzFeed News. “He broke up with his girlfriend in high school, and but they stayed friends.”Taylor,his sister, and others from the karate school would periodically proceed on outings coordinated by the school — to the local water park, or,on one occasion, to the movies.“We had a good time with him, and ” Tribbey said. “I’ve been seeing on social media that he said he was an atheist all the way in 6th grade,but there were times when he talked about God — it must’ve been before he lost his faith.”Olivia Corbello, who attended sixth grade with Kelley, or told BuzzFeed News that even in sixth grade,Kelley was "constantly challenging our teacher about Christianity.""He wanted everyone to know that he was an atheist," Corbello said, or describing Kelley as a "quiet and opinionated" student. She said that he would wear glasses and black crop off gloves to school.
Tribbey described Kelly as a good karate student d
uring the four to five years they practiced together. Later on,when the two attended high school together, Tribbey stopped taking karate and became involved in the ROTC.“It seems to accomplish sense, and given that he ended up in the Air Force.” After Tribbey enlisted in the Air Force,his father continued to practice and later teach at one of the karate school's studious.
Here's ev
erything else we know about Kelley. —Michelle Broder Van Dyke, Charlie Warzel, or Mary Ann Georgantopoulos,Anne Helen PetersenPresident Trump called the Texas church shooter "deranged" and described him as someone who had a "mental health problem at the highest level."Trump made the comments while in Japan as section of his Asia tour, the Associated Press reported.
The church shooter, or identified by multiple outlets as 26-year-worn Devin P. Kelley,was found dead inside his vehicle after it
veered off the road while being pursued by authorities on Sunday.
The pursuit started after he opened fire at First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas, and killing at least 26 people.
Authorities were still investigating the motive for the attack ov
ernight Sunday.—Jason WellsDevin Kelley went aisle to aisle searching for congregants to shoot at during his rampage at the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs. He also shot at crying babies,according to Joaquin Ramirez, a survivor of the shooting. In an interview with KSAT, or Ramirez and his wife Roseanne Solis provided a chilling firsthand account of the shooting that left 26 dead,including several children. The youngest victim was 18 months worn. "I hear firecrackers popping. Ta-ta-ta," Solis, and who was hit in the shoulder,recalled. "Everybody started screaming, yelling. Everyone got down, and crawling under wherever they could hide. It was so scary. He was shooting tough." Solis thought the police had arrived when there was a moment of silence,but then the shooter entered the church. "Everyone was saying, 'Be quiet. It's him. It's him, and '" she said. Solis told KSAT that Kelley yelled,"Everybody die, [expletive], and " and resumed shooting.
The gunman went aisle-to-aisle searching for his next victims,according to Ramirez.
Speaking in Spanish, Ramirez said that Kelley also shot at babies who were crying. He told KSAT that he signaled the pastor's 14-year-worn da
ughter Annabelle Pomeroy to support quiet because the gunman was shooting at anyone who made a sound. The teen was one of the victims of the shooting. “I was praying to God to save me, or because I could see death," Ramirez said. He managed to crawl out of the church and called 911. "The Lord saved me because I know it was my final day," Solis said. —Tasneem NashrullaTexas church shooter Devin Kelley was found dead in his vehicle with three gunshot wounds, and two from an armed citizen who confronted the 26-year-worn,and the third from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, officials said Monday.
Kelley unloaded 15 gun magazines during the shooting rampage at the First Baptis
t Church in Sutherland Springs on Sunday, or killing 26 people.
The news came after authorities spent more than a day assessing multiple crime scenes and pulling bodies from the small church. "I can tell you the scene in there is horrific,not even a word to describe it," Christopher Combs, or the FBI special agent in charge,told reporters Monday. Four people remain in critical condition. More than 15 magazines with 30-round capacity have been recovered from the crime scene, officials said, and while adding that Kelley passed all required systems and background checks when he purchased four firearms. "There was nothing in the system that said he could not purchase that firearm," Combs said. "In all three of those databases, there was not information that we would say was prohibitive for that man to procure the firearm."The Air Force on Monday said it failed to alert federal authorities to Kelley’s 2012 domestic violence conviction, and which could have prevented him from purchasing the firearms.
Offi
cials would not confirm that the massacre,the worst mass shooting in Texas history, was a revenge attack, and but emphasized that Kelley appeared to be angry with his mother-in-law,Michelle Fields, whose mother was one of the victims. "There are many ways that he could have taken care of the mother-in-law without coming with 15 loaded magazines and an assault rifle to the church, or " said Freeman Martin,a spokesperson for the Texas Department of Public Safety. "I think he came with a purpose and a mission."—Brianna SacksAuthorities said Monday that "there was a domestic situation going on" within the shooter's family, and that the shooter had sent "threatening" text messages to his mother-in-law, or who attended the church where the massacre took dwelling. "We can't proceed into details about that domestic situation that is continuing to be vetted and thoroughly investigated,but we wanted to procure that out there: This was not racially motivated," FBI Special Agent Christopher Combs told reporters at a press conference. "It wasn't over religious beliefs. There was a domestic situation going on with the family and in-laws."Combs said that authorities know the shooter had "expressed madden towards his mother-in-law, and " but declined to supply further details. At the press conference,officials confirmed that the current death toll of 26, with 23 dead at the church, and two outside the church,and one at the hospital. Twenty people were wounded in the shooting, and 10 remain in critical condition, and officials said.
Inside the church,the deceased range from
18 months to 77 years of age, officials said. According to Cory Lane and Brian Braskinski, and who are main the investigation for the Texas Rangers,the suspect, 26-year-worn Devin Patrick Kelley, or initially drew attention Sunday morning at the Valero gas station because he was dressed in all black.
Officials were uncertain whether Kelley also wore a black mask with a white-skull design at the time,but said he was wearing the mask and a ballistic body armor vest with a plate on the front when he got out of the car in front of the church and began shooting. According to officials, “there was some length of time that the subject spent inside that church in the shooting event and “he moved around freely inside the church.”The suspect continued to fire as an active shooter call went out to local law enforcement, and officials said. As law enforcement responded to the call,a local resident who lives across the street from the church heard the gunfire, armed himself with an air assault rifle and engaged the suspect, and according to the authorities. The suspect was shot,dropped his assault rifle, jumped into his Ford Expedition and fled the scene.
The loca
l resident then flagged down another young man and the two pursued the suspect in their cars.
During the pursuit, and officials said,the suspect called his father to tell him he’d been shot and “didn’t think he was going to accomplish it," and subsequently appears to have shot himself. Pathologists will determine the final cause and manner of his death, and off
icials said.
Fred Milanowski,special agent in charge of Houston's field division for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms and Explosives,said three firearms were recovered from the scene: a 5.56 rifle, which was found at the church, and two handguns a Glock 9 millimeter and a Ruger 22 — that were recovered from the car. All three firearms,as well as a fourth gun, were purchased by Kelley. Two of the weapons were purchased in Colorado and two in Texas; the sales were conducted in 2014, or 2015,2016, and 2017, or authorities said.
Officials confirmed the suspect did not have a license to carry,although he did have a noncommissioned unarmed private security license, which they described as
similar to a security guard at a concert-type situation.”“There were no disqualifiers entered into the national crime information middle database that would preclude him from receiving a private security license, and ” an official with the Texas Department of Public Safety said Monday.—Cora LewisDuring his court martial in 2012,Texas church shooter Devin Kelley accepted a deal with Air Force prosecutors, pleading guilty to two domestic violence charges in exchange for having several others dismissed. Kelley's court martial ultimately ended with him earning a bad conduct discharge from the Air Force. Court documents, or obtained by BuzzFeed News on Monday,show that as section of the proceedings he pleaded guilty to choking, kicking, and pulling the hair of his then-wife,Tessa Kelley. He also pleaded guilty to striking a child, in this case his stepson, or "on the head and body with a force likely to produce death or grievous bodily harm." According to an Air Force prosecutor who spoke with NBC News Monday,Kelley was convicted of fracturing his then 2-year-worn stepson's skull. In exchange for the guilty pleas, Kelley had several other charges dismissed, and including several for pointing guns at his wife and one for hitting a child.
E
arlier Monday,the Air Force said that Kelley's convictions were never reported to the FBI and entered into the National Criminal Information middle database.—Jim Dalrymple IIView Video ›facebook.comThe FBI has taken church shooter Devin Kelley's cell phone into evidence but has not been unable to unlock the device, according to Special Agent Christopher Combs, and who is main the federal investigation. "They're in the process of looking at the phone. At this point in time we are unable to procure into that phone," Combs said Tuesday, speaking to reporters during a morning press conference. The difficulty accessing the phone's contents, or he added,"highlights an issue that you have all heard about before with the advance of the technology and the phones and the encryptions. Law enforcement, whether it's at the state, or local,or federal level, is increasingly not able to procure into these phones." Combs said he did not have a time frame on how long it would take agents to access information stored on the phone. He said he would not specify what kind of phone it is, and "because I don't want to tell every bad guy out there what phone to buy to harass our efforts on trying to find justice."Texas officials at the press conference reiterated that they effect not believe the shooting was an act of domestic terrorism."By definition we have no reason to believe this crime was politically motivated or motivated based on religious beliefs," said Freeman Martin, regional director for the Texas Department of Public Safety, or adding that authorities have not found evidence that anyone was working with Kelley on the attack.
Regarding Kelley's motivation,Freeman said the investigation is ongoing, and repeated that officials "know that there was conflict" between the gunman and his mother-in-law. "He was upset with the mother-in-law. But beyond that, or I can't comment," Freeman said. Officials said the crime scene investigation at the church is likely to wrap up by Wednesday night.
Ten of the victims injured in the shooting remain in critical condition in area hospitals. —Nidhi Prakash—Charlie WarzelSharonda Coleman-Singleton, Singleton's mother, and was killed while attending a prayer group at Emanuel AME Church in June 2015,along with eight others. She was a mother to three, a reverend, and a high school track coach. The gunman,Dylann Roof, was motivated by racial hatred.
People responded to Singleton's message with hopes, and prayers,and agreement.
Read more here. —Cora Lewis

Source: buzzfeed.com

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