ANOTHER mass shooting, more faux expressions of horror and sorrow, more hypocritical faux prayers for the victims, their families and the community from those in power who could pass laws and regulations to greatly reduce the chances of these heinous crimes happening. Adding to the disgrace of the frequency of gun violence in America is the ignorant, racist reaction to these crimes by the fascist drumpf/trump-pence administration. Anyone who brainlessly supports the nra and the politicians they have bought has Sutherland Springs, Texas blood on their hands. If that pisses you off, then you can't handle the truth. From NPR and the Washington Post......
More Than 20 Reported Dead After Gunman Opens Fire In South Texas Church
Updated at 6:06 p.m. ET
Federal authorities are responding to a shooting at the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas, a small community southeast of San Antonio. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives has tweeted that special agents from its San Antonio field office have been dispatched to the scene.
A man walked into the church during a service late Sunday morning and "began firing," the local Wilson County News reports, citing county Sheriff Joe Tackitt. The paper notes that Tackitt "confirmed there were multiple casualties and multiple fatalities."
David Martin Davies of Texas Public Radio told NPR's Noel King that more than 20 people are dead, including the shooter. The AP reports that the pastor's 14-year-old daughter is among the dead.
"This is a blue jeans and working boots kind of church," Davies said. "It's a big part of the community." Less than a thousand people live in Sutherland Springs. Kelsey Bradshaw, a reporter for the San Antonio News Express, told NPR: "The number of people who are injured and killed make up about ten percent of the entire population."
Our prayers are with all who were harmed by this evil act. Our thanks to law enforcement for their response. More details from DPS soon. twitter.com/jaketapper/sta…
"While the details of this horrific act are still under investigation, Cecilia and I want to send our sincerest thoughts and prayers to all those who have been affected by this evil act," Gov. Greg Abbott said in a statement. "I want to thank law enforcement for their response and ask that all Texans pray for the Sutherland Springs community during this time of mourning and loss."
"It's a small Baptist church. It's an older building," one witness who works nearby told MSNBC, adding that she heard "semiautomatic gunfire" from her vantage point about 150 yards away.
"I never thought it would happen here. This is something that happens in a big city. I would never have thought this would have taken place here. It's just too tight a community. It doesn't make sense."
Local media report that law enforcement has closed off the the scene, where emergency vehicles line the streets and witnesses have told of several helicopters overhead. FBI agents have also arrived at the church.
President Trump says he is "monitoring the situation from Japan."
"May God be w/ the people of Sutherland Springs, Texas," Trump tweeted. "The FBI & law enforcement are on the scene."
This is a developing story. Some things that get reported by the media will later turn out to be wrong. We will focus on reports from police officials and other authorities, credible news outlets and reporters who are at the scene. We will update as the situation develops.
SUTHERLAND SPRINGS, Texas — A gunman shot and killed more than two dozen people and injured many others Sunday inside a small community church here in South Texas, and he was found dead several miles away from the scene after fleeing, authorities said.
The mass shooting happened during morning services at the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, a small town in the countryside more than 30 miles southeast of San Antonio. Neighbors said they heard loud bangs and even had bullets spray into their homes as the gunman released a barrage of gunfire before noon.
According to a statement from the Texas Department of Public Safety and Wilson County Sheriff Joe Tackitt, officials were called to the church for reports of a gunman at 11:20 a.m. The shooter was described as a male in black clothing, and entered the church and fired a rifle. According to officials, the shooting killed 25 and injured another 20. The shooter then drove away from the scene, traveling 11 miles north to an intersection where he was later found deceased.
“At this moment in time, there are 26 lives that have been lost,” Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said during an early evening news conference. “We don’t know if that number will rise or not, all we know is that is too many.”
Ernest “Skip” Hajek, a Wilson County commissioner, told The Washington Post that the gunman — who he said is a resident of a nearby county, began firing from outside the Southern Baptist church building and continued to shoot as he entered. Hajek said the gunman eventually drove off from the the scene and was followed by a local resident who called 911 to report which way the gunman was fleeing.
“He pulled his car over,” Hajek said of the gunman, who has not been publicly identified. “That’s where the police found him dead.”
Hajek said police are looking into whether the gunman’s wounds were self-inflicted. Authorities had not yet provided any information about a possible motive for the shooting as of Sunday evening.
Central Texas was swarming with law enforcement officers Sunday afternoon, as officials worked both the scene of the shooting in Sulphur Springs and the scene where the shooter was found. An official with San Antonio Police Department said their bomb squad was dispatched to search the shooter’s vehicle for explosives.
Federal authorities, including from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the FBI, are on the scene. The Texas Ranger Division of the state’s Department of Public Safety also is involved in the investigation.
Diana Segura, 69, was in the shower Sunday morning at about 11 a.m. when she was startled by a series of thundering bangs so loud she thought a truck’s engine had exploded on the highway behind her home. Minutes later, sirens burst onto her quiet street and Segura walked outside and saw the unthinkable: multiple bodies on the ground outside the First Baptist Church, where she occasionally attends weeknight services. Standing outside her home down the street from the church, Segura stared at the throng of police cars and emergency vehicles, her head shaking in disbelief.
“This is a small town and nothing never happens here,” Segura said. “We are family here, and that church is always filled with friends.”
Megan Posey, a spokeswoman for Connally Memorial Medical Center, located not far from the church, confirmed that the hospital is still accepting patients from the shooting, though she does not know how many. Frank Pomeroy, the pastor of First Baptist Church told ABC News that his teenage daughter is among the dead.
Dana Fletcher, who owns a business a quarter of a mile from the church, said she and her family just moved to Sutherland Springs. She said she was first alerted of the shooting after receiving a call from a reporter.
“My husband and I both are still in shock,” she said. “It’s a little tiny church that was targeted. It’s shocking. It’s a bit frightening because it’s a little bit close to home.”
The shooting Sunday came more than a month after a masked gunman stormed into a small community church outside of Nashville and shot seven people, including the pastor, killing one. Authorities said the suspect in that shooting, Emanuel Kidega Samson, might have been motivated by a quest for revenge for a 2015 shooting that targeted black churchgoers in Charleston, S.C. — a shooting that left nine people dead.
It also came just more than a month after 58 people were killed at a Las Vegas country music festival, in what was the deadliest mass shooting in recent U.S. history; the assailant, Stephen Paddock, killed himself after a lengthy shooting spree from his 32nd floor Mandalay Bay hotel suite.
President Trump, who is traveling in Asia, said in a tweet Sunday afternoon that he is “monitoring the situation from Japan.” White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said Trump has spoken with Gov. Abbott and is receiving regular updates on the investigation.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said in a statement that his office stands ready to assist local law enforcement as needed: “The thoughts and prayers of all Texans are with the people of Sutherland Springs as tragic reports come out of First Baptist Church.”
Texas Democratic Party Chair Gilberto Hinojosa also confirmed that multiple people were gunned down in the church.
“The facts of this horrific mass shooting are just beginning to unfold, but one thing is certain: these tragedies are especially terrifying when they happen in places of worship, a sanctuary and comfort for so many,” Hinojosa said.
A video shared on Twitter by a KSAT reporter showed people crying and holding hands as they waited to find out whether their loved ones are safe.
Carrie Matula, who works at a gas station near the church, told MSNBC that she ran out to see what was happening after hearing gunshots.
“I never thought it would happen here,” she said. “This is something that happens in a big city. I would have never thought this would have taken place here. It’s just too tight a community. It doesn’t make sense.”
The church is a part of the Southern Baptist Convention, the largest Protestant denomination in the country with about 15 million members. First Baptist reported an average estimated attendance of 100 in 2015. The church is affiliated with the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention, considered one of Texas’s more theologically conservative group of Southern Baptists.
Mike Jordan, 50, was a few miles outside of town Sunday when he received a frantic call from his son telling him he needed to come home immediately. Jordan, who lives across the street from the church, said one of the shooter’s bullets went through the window at his son’s home, missing his two-year-old grandson by about four feet.
“That curdled my blood,” Jordan said. “He ran to the door and yelled to his wife, ‘Get the baby, run to the bathroom. Somebody is shooting up the church!'”
Holley reported from Sutherland Springs, Texas; Phillips and Lowery reported from Washington. Eva Ruth Moravec in Sutherland Springs and Sarah Pulliam Bailey, Ed O’Keefe and Devlin Barrett in Washington contributed to this report.
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