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.
Authorities have yet to confirm how many were killed or injured, but Wilson County Commissioner Albert Gamez Jr. said that at least 26 are dead and more than 20 are injured, citing information he received from local authorities. A law enforcement official said the suspected gunman was dead following a brief pursuit by local police.
Ernest “Skip” Hajek, another 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 church 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.
“About 4 or 5 miles away, 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.
