Mass shooting reported in Texas; multiple deaths reported

CNN: LINK

SA Express News: LINK says “more than 20 dead.”

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OP:

Came up on a wreck a few mins ago with a few deputies taking defensive actions telling us to take cover. Five minutes later there are 25 leo's from all over around here, message the wife and according to facebook it all started at the local Baptist Church, 15 people shot, again according to facebook. Nearest big city is San Antonio and I haven't seen anything from them yet, DPS chopper over head now and they are moving us back.

Updates


The Latest on a shooting at a church in Texas (all times local):

7:50 p.m.

People who live near an address listed for the Texas church shooting suspect say they heard intense gunfire from that direction in recent days.

Sixteen-year-old Ryan Albers lives across the road from the listed home of suspect Devin Kelley. He says: "It's really loud. At first I thought someone was blasting."

He says "It was someone using automatic weapon fire."

Another nearby neighbor, who did not want to be identified, said he had also heard gunfire coming from across the street but couldn't be sure if it came from the property listed as Kelley's address. The neighbor added that the sound of gunfire is not unusual in the area given the seclusion and the big acreage of the surrounding properties.

Authorities say 26 people were killed and about 20 wounded in the shooting.

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7:30 p.m.

A U.S. military official says the suspect identified in the mass shooting at a Texas church was a former Air Force member who was stationed inNew Mexico at one time.

Air Force spokeswoman Ann Stefanek says records confirm that Devin P. Kelley served in Logistics Readiness at Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico from 2010 until his discharge. The date of his discharge and the circumstances under which he left the service were not immediately available.

The Pentagon also confirmed that Kelley was an airman "at one point," but didn't provide additional details.

Authorities say 26 people were killed and about 20 others wounded in the attack in Sutherland Springs.

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7:05 p.m.

More than 100 people gathered after dark on a grassy street corner within sight of the church where the shooting occurred for a prayer vigil.

Attendees, including Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, lit candles while some wept and others hugged Sunday night. They could see the church sign lit up and emergency lights flashing.

The vigil across the street from a gas station convenience store where law enforcement officials say the shooter stopped before the attack.

Mike Gonzales, who does not attend the church but lives near says: "The people of this church are wonderful people." Gonzales added, "We're coming together to pray for them and show the world that now, in the midst of darkness, there is light."

Authorities say 26 people were killed and about 20 wounded in the attack.

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6:45 p.m.

Two sheriff's vans were parked outside and police officers stood at the gate of a cattle fence surrounding the address listed for the Texas church shooting suspect, preventing a group of waiting journalists from entering.

Two officials who spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity have identified him as Devin Kelley.

Officials from the Comal County Sherriff's Office and the Texas Rangers declined to comment Sunday evening, or to say if they had raided his home. A few minutes later, the gate opened and two Texas Rangers trucks pulled out.

The home is in a wooded area on the rural, western outskirts of New Braunfels, north of San Antonio. It is off a two-lane highway.

Authorities say 26 people were killed and about 20 wounded in the shooting.

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6:40 p.m.

President Donald Trump says the deadly church shooting in Texas is an "act of evil."

Trump is in Tokyo on the first leg of a visit to Asia. He says he has spoken with Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and the state has the administration's "full support."

Trump says he will continue to follow developments closely while he is traveling through Asia.

The president says the "act of evil" occurred as the victims and families were in their place of "sacred worship."

Texas authorities say 26 people were killed and about 20 others were wounded Sunday after a man open fire inside First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs southeast of San Antonio.

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6:15 p.m.

Texas authorities are offering more details about the timeline of a deadly church shooting.

Department of Public Safety regional director Freeman Martin says the alleged shooter was dressed in black, wearing tactical gear and a ballistic vest when he arrived at a neighboring gas station around 11:20 a.m.

He crossed the street to the church, left his vehicle and started firing a Ruger AR assault-type rifle at the church. Then he entered the church and fired.

As he left the church, the shooter met an unidentified area resident with his own rifle who pursued him. The suspect was found dead in his vehicle near the border between Wilson and Guadalupe counties.

Martin says it's unclear if he died of a self-inflected wound or was shot by the resident.

Authorities haven't announced the name of the suspect, only describing him as a white male in his 20s.

Two officials who spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity identified the attacker as Devin Kelley.

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6 p.m.

A top Texas public safety officer says that 23 of the people found dead in a shooting at a Baptist church were found inside the building, two others were outside and one person was transported but died later.

Freeman Martin, regional director of the Texas Department of Public Safety, says the ages of those killed ranged from 5 to 72.

He told a news conference that about 20 other people were injured in the attack.

The first report of the shooting was at about 11:20 a.m., or about 20 minutes after the church website says the Sunday worship was scheduled to start.

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5:40 p.m.

Gov. Greg Abbott says 26 people were killed in the attack on a Texas church and that it was the deadliest mass shooting in the state's history.

Abbott's remarks came during a news conference Sunday, hours after the attack on the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, a community 30 miles southeast of San Antonio.

The victims ranged in age from 5 to 72 years old.

Two officials who spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity identified the attacker as Devin Kelley.

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5:20 p.m.

Two officials have identified the suspect in a mass shooting at a Texas church as Devin Kelley.

The officials — one a U.S. official and the other in law enforcement — spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to discuss the ongoing investigation, which they were briefed on.

The U.S. official says Kelley lived in a suburb of San Antonio and that he doesn't appear to be linked to organized terrorist groups. The official says investigators are looking at social media posts Kelley may have made in the days before Sunday's attack, including one that appeared to show an AR-15 semiautomatic weapon.

Authorities say Kelley walked into the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs and opened fire, killing more than 20 people and wounding at least 10 others.

This item has been corrected to fix the spelling of Kelley on second reference.