Texas Church Shooting: At Least 26 Dead, Gunman Killed

Local Editor

At least 26 people lost their lives as a gunman opened fire inside a church in Sutherland Springs, Texas. The shooter was either killed or shot himself.

Meanwhile, Texas Governor Gregg Abbot confirmed that at least 26 people had lost their lives in the shooting, warning that the death toll could climb higher. At least 20 more were wounded in the attack.

For their part, witnesses reported seeing the man walk into the Baptist Church in the town 30 miles from San Antonio at 11:30am local time Sunday, according to KSAT-12.

The assailant first opened fire outside the church before proceeding on a shooting spree inside, DPS Regional Director Freeman Martin said at a news briefing.

The suspect was engaged in a firefight by an armed local resident as he exited the building, forcing him to drop his automatic rifle and attempt to flee. As he escaped the scene in a vehicle, the resident proceeded to chase him.

The attacker was found dead in his car as it crashed down the road, Martin added, noting that it was not clear whether his death was self-inflicted or he was killed by the local resident. "Multiple weapons" were found in the gunman's car, the police said after inspecting it.

The suspect's name was not officially released yet. He is being described as a white man in his mid-20s. He was wearing all-black tactical gear and a ballistic vest at the time of the attack.

However, unnamed sources within the investigation, cited by various US media, identified the shooter as Devin Patrick Kelley, 26. Kelley was said to be a resident of New Braunfels, a city near San Antonio.

Police have reportedly already raided his home. It appears from Kelley's purported profile on LinkedIn that he served in the US Air Force until 2013 and briefly taught at a summer religious school.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team