5 Chilling Facts About The Texas Shooter

USA

On Sunday, November 5, 2017, Devin Patrick Kelley entered the First Baptist Church in Sutherland County Texas at 11:30 a.m. during morning services. He carried an AR-15-style assault rifle and opened fire, killing 26 and injuring dozens more. It was the worst mass shooting in Texas history.

So far, authorities failed to determine a concrete motive as to why Kelley decided to massacre nearly everyone attending church that day. However, details have begun to emerge that shed light on the troubled young man who committed this terrible atrocity.

Here are five things we know about the Texas shooter.

5. Targeted Church Where His Second Wife’s Family Worshipped

According to Wilson County Sheriff Joe Tackett, Kelley’s in-laws were regular attendees at the First Baptist Church. They were out of town at the time of the shooting, however, this didn’t seem to stop Kelley from going on his rampage. It seems unlikely that he was specifically targeting his in-laws since he began spraying bullets immediately upon entering the church.

Danielle Shields, Kelley’s current wife, worked as a teacher at First Baptist a few years ago. It’s so far unclear if Kelley had a falling-out with his wife which may have triggered the violence.

4. Lived At Parents Home With Wife And Child

Like many twenty-somethings, Kelley lived on his parent’s property, a farm in New Braunfels, Texas. His parents lived in the home while Kelley and his wife and child lived in a “barndominium”—a former barn converted into living space.

Kelley’s neighbor, Mark Moravitz, had no complaints about Kelley save for one. “Nothing abnormal. Regular guy. I mean, the only thing unusual across the street is we hear a lot of gunfire, a lot of times at night. We hear gunfire a lot, but we’re out in the country.”

3. Dishonorably Discharged From The Air Force

Kelley enlisted in the US Air Force after graduating high school, serving in Logistics Readiness at Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico from 2010. But his career was cut short after he was court-martialed for assaulting his first wife and their child in 2012. He was sentenced to one year in military prison before being dishonorably discharged with a reduction in rank. The bad-conduct charge on his record is a black spot that any employer would see on a cursory background check.