Although they weren’t in the church at the time, officials confirmed that the in-laws of a man who opened fire on Sunday at a Texas-based church attended services there previously.
“We know that his ex-in-law, or in-laws, came to church here from time to time. They were not here yesterday to attend church,” Wilson County Sheriff Joe Tackett (pictured) said to the Today show on Monday morning.
Shooter Devin Kelley, 26, who was married previously, apparently targeted his 2nd wife’s parents. He was currently was married to Danielle Kelley, with whom he had a child. The couple lived with the the shooter’s parents home in New Braunfels at the time of the shooting. Danielle’s mother is a parishioner at the church.
According to Air Force spokeswoman Ann Stefanek, Kelley was court marshaled and dishonorably discharged from the military after assaulting his first wife and their child in 2012. They divorced the same year. In 2014, Kelley married his current wife. Previous reports indicated that the shooter and his wife may have had some sort of falling out with other shortly before the shooting.
“I don’t think the church was just randomly attacked,” Texas Gov. Greg Abbott told Fox & Friends. “I think there was a reason why the shooter chose this church.”
Meanwhile, Tackett told the Today show that Kelley likely shot himself in the head after an armed citizen exchanged gunfire with him. Kelley fled in a truck and eventually crashed off-road. Authorities found him deceased inside the truck with an apparent gunshot wound to the head. Tackett said they’re waiting on the results from the medical examiner’s office before they officially confirm whether Kelley killed himself or died from gunshot wounds from the citizen.
As CrimeOnline previously reported, a total of 26 people were killed at the First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs, located off of the 500 block of 4th Street, a little over 35 miles east of San Antonio. According to a witness, Kelley arrived at the church at around 11:30 a.m. and started shooting at people who had gathered at church at around 11 a.m. for Sunday worship services.
[Feature Photo: AP/Eric Gay]
