According to CBS News, the man who killed at least 26 churchgoers in Sutherland, Texas, on Sunday has been identified as 26-year-old Devin Patrick Kelley, a former member of the United States Air Force.
Ann Stefanek, Air Force media operations chief, told The New York Times that Kelly was court-martialed in 2012 “on charges of assaulting his wife and child.” In 2014, he was dishonorably discharged.
Kelly began his attack sometime between 11 a.m. and 11:20 a.m., shooting first from the outside of the church building, then moving inside. The New York Times writes that Kelly was wearing “black tactical gear…and a ballistic vest.”
Not far away, NRA instructor, Stephen Willeford, grabbed his rifle when his daughter alerted him to the sounds of gunfire coming from the church.
Willeford opened fire on Kelly as he exited the church, wounding him. Kelly then got into his car and fled the scene. Willeford and another man, Johnnie Langendorff, gave chase.
During an interview with KSAT, Langendorff described what happened next:
We speed over [Highway] 87 through traffic. We hit about 95 [mph] down [Farm Road] 539 trying to catch this guy until he eventually lost control on his own and went off in the ditch.
Authorities found Kelly dead in his car.
According to The Daily Beast:
San Antonio police reportedly raided Kelley’s home on Sunday evening. A LinkedIn account appearing to belong to Kelley describes him as serving in the U.S. Air Force from his 2009 high-school graduation until 2013, after which he briefly taught at a summer Bible school.
On his Facebook page, which has already been deleted, Kelley posted a photo of a rifle with the caption: “She’s a bad b****.”
More information will be provided as the situation develops.
