A gunman entered a small church in southeast Texas and opened fire, killing at least 20 worshipers and wounding many others in the latest mass shooting to plague the United States, according to authorities and media reports.
The shooting occurred at the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs in Wilson County, about 40 miles (65 km) east of San Antonio. The suspect fled the scene in a vehicle but was killed about 12 miles away in neighboring Guadalupe County, according to local media and Sergeant Robert Murphy, a spokesman for the Guadalupe County Sheriff’s Office said.
Neither the suspect’s identity nor any possible motive were disclosed by authorities. But law enforcement officials who were not identified have said the gunman as a white, 26-year-old man, the New York Times and other media reported.
Wilson County Sheriff Joe Tackitt told CNN that at least 20 people were killed. Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick told Fox News that at least 25 people were killed and 30 injured.
The 14-year-old daughter of pastor Frank Pomeroy was killed, the family told several television stations.
Jeff Forrest, a 36-year-old military veteran who lives a block away from the church, said what sounded like high-caliber, semi-automatic gunfire triggered memories of his four combat deployments with the Marine Corps.
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