Mass Shooting at Texas Church Leaves Eight Dead

Brooke Daniels, Editor-in-Chief

Sunday in Sutherland Springs Texas was not peaceful or relaxing for church-goers.

The day started abruptly with a mass shooting that killed eight and injured 26. Texas church gunman Devin Kelley had previously tried to obtain a license to carry a gun in Texas, but the state denied him, Texas Governor Greg Abbott said, citing the Texas Department of Public Safety. The massacre killed about 4% of the town’s population and no attendee was left unscathed, Wilson County Sheriff Joe Tackitt said.

“I think nearly everybody had some type of injury,” Tackitt told CNN reporters Monday.

The incident left eight members of the same family dead and over 20 more injured in the small church about 30 miles east of San Antonio.

Abbott called the slaughter the “largest mass shooting” in the state’s history and ordered all flags to be flown at half-staff across the state Monday.

The devastation is widespread as the state mourns the loss of the dead and prays for the injured. Nearby hospitals have been flooded with patients and frantic families hoping for the best possible outcome.

The story is still developing, but photos of the shooter are not being released per the family’s request. All Americans should keep Texas in mind at this time of mourning.

A candlelight vigil was held for the victims on Monday, 11/6. Here shown is a family holding candles outside of the First Episcopal church where the shooting took place in memory of the wounded and deceased. (AP Images)