Devin P. Kelley: Texas Church Shooting Suspect Identified, Man Opened Fire During Church Service, Killing 27
Devin P. Kelley has been identified as the Texas church shooting suspect who police say opened fire on a service at a Baptist church outside of San Antonio, killing at least 27 people and injuring many others before being killed.
Though reports are still early, the New York Times identified the suspect as Kelley. A witness had previously identified another man as the shooter during an interview with a CBS affiliate, but family members took to social media to clarify that the man’s family were victims, and he was not the shooter.
The report noted that Devin P. Kelley was 26-years-old.
Kelley was reportedly killed after a brief chase through nearby Guadalupe County, Guadalupe County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Robert Murphy told CNN. The FBI responded to the scene of the shooting as well.
Within hours of the shooting, police official Albert Gamez, Jr. confirmed that at least 27 people had been killed.
“The details are kind of sketchy but what I know right now, what they’re telling me, like 27 deceased and over 20, 25 injured,” Gamez, Jr. said, as reported by the BBC.
The New York Times report did not specify what connection shooting suspect Devin P. Kelley had to the church.
Witnesses said the Texas church shooting was a chaotic scene, with a cashier at a nearby gas station telling CNN that she heard up to 20 shots in rapid succession while the church service was underway.
The shooting took place in a small community, and those interviewed said word traveled fast about the mass shooting. Most in the town said they knew victims or others who were at the church at the time the gunman opened fire.
While police have not officially identified the victims of the Texas church shooting, pastor Frank Pomeroy confirmed that his 14-year-old daughter was among the dead.
.@ArthelNeville: Daughter of Pastor Frank Pomeroy of First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas, killed in horrific church shooting. pic.twitter.com/CyiuhTHZ9M
— Fox News (@FoxNews) November 5, 2017
Some details are also starting to emerge about Devin P. Kelley. The Daily Beast reported that the 26-year-old shooting suspect also taught Bible study at and that his mother-in-law had a P.O. box in Sutherland Springs, the location of the deadly shooting. Some reports have indicated that Kelley may not have been from the town where the shooting took place.
Police have not yet officially confirmed that Devin P. Kelley is the Texas church shooting suspect, but the New York Times report noted that officials speaking on the condition of anonymity have said he was the gunman.
[Featured Image by kali9/iStock]
