Report: Armed Citizen Confronted The Texas Church Shooter

We’re still learning about Devin Patrick Kelley, the man who murdered at least 26 people at First Baptist Church. According to reports, he was a 26-year-old US Air Force veteran who was given a bad conduct discharged.

Kelley was discharged from the Air Force in 2014, according to Defense Department records. Kelley was court martialed in November 2012 and a judge sentenced him with a bad-conduct discharge, 12 months confinement, and two reductions in rank to basic airman, according to an appeals court decision in 2013 that affirmed the decision against Kelley.

I have no idea why I’m just seeing the following report now, but I think it’s worth putting out there.

An armed citizen actually confronted Kelley before first responders arrived and took over. Mediaite states that the armed citizen “used his own firearm to engage and ultimately wound the gunman.”

Don’t take my word for it. The Texas Department of Public Safety spokesperson Freeman Martin explained what happened. Emphasis mine:

“At approximately 11:20 this morning a suspect was seen at a Valero gas station in Sutherland Springs, Texas. He was dressed in all black. That suspect crossed the street to the church, exited his vehicle and began firing at the church. That suspect then moved to the right side of the church and then continued to fire. That suspect entered the church and continued to fire. As he exited the church, a local resident grabbed his rifle and engaged that suspect. The suspect dropped his rifle, which was a Ruger AR assault-type rifle and fled from the church.”

A CBS affiliate reported this too:

Authorities said civilian with a gun confronted the attacker and chased him away. The gunman was later found dead in his vehicle.

And so did TIME:

Officials say that after leaving the church, the gunman was confronted by a local citizen, who grabbed his rifle and chased him from the scene. The suspect drove away, and crashed his vehicle near the county line, where authorities later found his body. It is unclear whether he died of a self-inflicted wound or if he was shot by the person who engaged him.

But all guns are evil, right?

Freemen went on to say that the armed local “pursued” the suspect until he “was found deceased in his vehicle.”

“At this time we don’t know if it was a self-inflicted gunshot wound or if he was shot by the local resident. We know he’s deceased in the vehicle,” he added.

Listen to this:

Man who lives near Sutherland Springs church describes how his neighbor shot Devin Kelley. https://t.co/x0jGnGmvLL pic.twitter.com/SIFus6z60h

— Nick Short 🇺🇸 (@PoliticalShort) November 6, 2017

Amazing to learn that a resident with a rifle approached the shooter, engaged him & pursued him. Put his life on the line to try to stop him

— Allison Harris (@AllisonFox4News) November 5, 2017

That’s exactly why I have a problem with people like Joy Reid claiming NRA members have blood on their hands. Many law-abiding gun owners would put their life on the line to save yours.