Former Rare Staff
Devin Kelley, the 26-year-old suspect in the Sutherland Springs, Texas church shooting, may have been targeting his in-laws.
Authorities said on Monday that Kelley’s in-laws attended the First Baptist Church where Kelley opened fire. They were not in attendance at the Sunday service. Despite this connection, Wilson County Sheriff Joe Tackitt Jr. would not confirm a motive.
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“There must have been some reason he came here, but we don’t know,” Tackitt told the media.
Sheriff Tackitt says gunman was not on their radar "in any way — he had just a few tickets," @barrydavistv reports https://t.co/fcCJlnqE2G pic.twitter.com/KJtykSsi9A
— CBS News (@CBSNews) November 6, 2017
Tackitt went on to explain how Kelley committed his crime.
“He just walked down the center aisle, turned around and my understanding was shooting on his way back out. It’s unbelievable to see children, men, and women, laying there. Defenseless people,” Tackitt said.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott also chimed in on the shooter’s motive.
“I don’t think this is a random act of shooting, a randomly chosen location, but obviously someone who is very deranged,” Abbott said on TODAY.
Abbott later confirmed that Kelley had applied for a gun license in Texas and had been denied.
“I do believe there was a connection between [the shooting suspect] and this location,” @GovAbbott says https://t.co/cSsnqeVE6n pic.twitter.com/DXLKx4fATK
— CBS News (@CBSNews) November 6, 2017
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
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