SUTHERLAND SPRINGS, Tex. (NBC News) – Twenty-six people were killed and 20 more wounded when a gunman walked into a church in Sutherland Springs, Texas and opened fire Sunday.
The rampage was the largest mass shooting in Texas history. In addition to the dead, 20 people were injured, said Freeman Martin, regional director of the state Department of Public Safety.
Martin said that the youngest victim was 18 months old and that the eldest was 77 years old. Authorities had previously said the victims were ages 5 to 72, but Martin clarified that those were the ages of hospitalized victims.
Texas Department of Public Safety said 26-year-old Devin Patrick Kelley burst through the front doors of the chapel and opened fire, wearing all-black tactical type gear and a ballistic vest.
Kelley sprayed the congregation with multiple rounds before turning to leave. He was met outside by a resident who rushed to the scene with his rifle and returned fire.
Kelley ran to his vehicle, while Good Samaritan Johnnie Langendorff followed close behind.
“I did what I thought I needed to do which was they said there was a shooting, I pursued,” Langendorff said.
Police joined in and after a brief chase, Kelley crashed and was found dead inside his vehicle.
Kelley, a former member of the Air Force, was given a bad conduct discharge in 2014. He was court-martialed in 2012 for assaulting his wife and child.
Authorities say his in-laws attended the church, but were not there at the time of the shooting.
“They were not here yesterday to attend church but they did come yesterday afternoon to speak to investigators,” Wilson County Sheriff Joe Tackitt said.
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