On Sunday, November 5th at 11:20 AM in Sutherland Springs, Texas, a gunman opened fire during a church service at First Baptist Church, killing 26 people. After hearing the gunfire, an armed citizen, Stephen Willeford,  grabbed a personal rifle and engaged the shooter. In the ensuing firefight, the shooter was hit and fled the scene in a pearl-colored Ford Explorer. Following a brief chase where Willeford and another bystander – Johnnie Langendorff – pursued the gunman, the gunman crashed, later found dead by a self inflicted gunshot wound to the head.

Police have now identified the criminal as Devin Patrick Kelly, a 26 year old Air Force bad conduct dischargee. Police have also recovered 15 empty 30 round magazines and a discarded Ruger AR-556 rifle from the scene. Kelly indiscriminately gunned down over two dozen people, his victims ranging from an 18 month old to a 77 year old. 12 to 14 of the victims found dead inside the church were children.

This is the deadliest mass shooting in Texas history, crippling the 400 person Sutherland community. The community is in mourning and the rest of the United States mournes with them, expressing condolences to the families of the victims and commending the brave and selfless acts of Stephen Willeford and Johnnie Langendorff, who stepped in to try to prevent even more potential casualties.

Story will continue to be updated as more information about the shooter and the circumstances surrounding the tragedy are released.