At least 26 people were killed in Sunday’s church shooting in Sutherland Springs, Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott said at a press conference.
About 20 others were wounded, said Freeman Martin, a regional director with the Texas Department of Public Safety, with victims ranging in age from 5 to 72 years old.
Among the dead is the 14-year-old daughter of the First Baptist Church’s pastor, Frank Pomeroy, according to his wife, Sherri Pomeroy, the girl’s mother. The couple were traveling out of state when the shooting occurred.
Authorities have not said what may have motivated the suspected shooter, who was later found dead in his vehicle.
The shooting has devastated the small Texas town east of San Antonio, described as a place where “everybody knows everybody.
The suspected shooter has been identified as 26-year-old Devin Patrick Kelley, according to two law enforcement sources who have been briefed on the investigation.
FBI just arrived on the scene. The scene is getting pushed back. pic.twitter.com/vyIyNPZHou
— KSAT Max Massey (@MaxMasseyTV) November 5, 2017
The shooting reportedly happened around 11:30 a.m. local time at the First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs, approximately 40 miles east of San Antonio. Witnesses tell KSAT that a gunman walked into the church during the Sunday morning service and opened fire.
Police say there are “multiple victims,” but an exact number was not immediately available. Witnesses say as many 20 shots were fired, though police have not confirmed the exact number of gunshots that were fired.
#BREAKING Confirmed shooting at First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs, police say multiple victims pic.twitter.com/1ljzxpqk4f
— KSAT Max Massey (@MaxMasseyTV) November 5, 2017
This is the scene of the shooting st the church pic.twitter.com/0sf1woffOl
— KSAT Max Massey (@MaxMasseyTV) November 5, 2017
Police tell me shooter is dead and there is no more active threat pic.twitter.com/1QPX8uQtpY
— KSAT Max Massey (@MaxMasseyTV) November 5, 2017
The suspect, who has not been identified, is dead and there is no longer an active shooter threat, according to police. Agents from the FBI are also on scene.
The FBI is responding to the scene of a reported shooting in Sutherland Springs, Texas, according to Michelle Lee, spokeswoman for the FBI’s San Antonio field office.
May God be w/ the people of Sutherland Springs, Texas. The FBI & law enforcement are on the scene. I am monitoring the situation from Japan.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 5, 2017
Local police also have responded to the scene, which occurred at the First Baptist Church, a witness told CNN. The witness, a cashier at a gas station across the street from the church, said she heard about 20 shots being fired in quick succession while a church service was underway.
Sutherland Springs is about 30 miles east of San Antonio.
Aric Chen
Editor