Sutherland Springs: Deadliest shooting in modern Texas history leaves 26 dead

Kelley, 26, was a resident of Comal County, Texas, with a history of domestic violence but no other immediate sign of a possible motive. (AP Photo/Austin American-Statesman, Jay Janner)

26 churchgoers were killed and at least 20 more were wounded in the deadliest mass shooting in the modern history of Texas.

The ages of the victims ranged from 5 to 72, authorities said Sunday. Pastor Frank Pomeroy told ABC News his 14-year-old daughter, Annabelle Renee Pomeroy, was one of the victims killed. He called his youngest daughter ‘one very beautiful, special child.’

Devin Patrick Kelley has been identified as the shooter. Clad in black, wearing a tactical vest and carrying an AR-15-style assault rifle, he parked outside and opened fire for 15 seconds inside the church.

A 6-year-old boy was shot four times, CBS News correspondent David Begnaud tweeted on Sunday.
‘6yo boy named Rylan was shot 4 times at the church in Sutherland Springs & is now in surgery, according to his uncle who spoke to CBS News,’ he wrote.

Donald Trump calls Sutherland Springs massacre ‘an act of evil’. He pledged his full support to Texas and the communities affected.
The US president reponsed from Japan and called it a ‘horrific shooting’ in a ‘place of sacred worship.’
He continued ‘Americans will do what we do best: We pull together and join hands and lock arms, and through the tears and sadness we stand strong.’

Rep. Henry Cuellar, a Democrat representing Texas’ 28th district, told the New York Times children and a pregnant woman were among the victims who died.

Law enforcement and forensic officials gather near the First Baptist Church. County Sheriff Joe D. Tackitt said: ‘We need your support,’
‘And media, don’t blow it out there that it should have never happened, because it does happen. And we sincerely feel sorry for all the people who are involved.’ (Erich Schlegel/Getty Images)

Chris Taylor, 59, who owns a petrol station near the church, said: ‘I know at least five people who were killed.’ (Getty)

Freeman Martin, regional director for the Texas Department of Public Safety, said two people were found dead outside the church. A further 23 were found dead inside. He said: ‘We have approximately 20 that are transported to local hospitals in San Antonio with injuries that vary from minor to very severe. We know the ages range from 5 years old to 72 years of age.’ (Getty)

As the shooter exited the church, a local resident grabbed his gun and chased after the suspect, who dropped his weapon and fled the scene. (Getty)

Sunday School director Ann Montgomery was comforted during a candlelight vigil held across the street from the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas. (Getty)

The death toll in the latest shooting surpassed Texas’ previous deadliest – a 1991 massacre in Killeen that left 23 dead. The five deadliest shootings in modern American history have now all come in the last 10 years. (Getty)