Devin Patrick Kelley has been identified as the gunman who killed at least 26 people at a church in Texas, a U.S. official told The Daily Beast. A week before he committed the worst massacre at a place of worship in American history, Kelley posted a photo of a semiautomatic rifle to Facebook with the caption: “She’s a bad bitch.”
Kelley entered First Baptist Church at approximately 11:30 a.m., witnesses reported, and opened fire. Officials said Kelley wore a ballistic vest and dressed in all black. A law enforcement source close to the investigation said the rifle Kelley used is similar to the one pictured but could not confirm it is the same rifle.
When Kelley exited the church, he dropped his rifle, a law enforcement source told The Daily Beast. Kelley was pursued by a civilian with a shotgun, Sheriff Joe Tackett said on Sunday evening during a press conference, and died near the city of New Berlin. It is unclear if Kelley was killed or died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Police told reporters that Kelley’s victims range in age from 5 to 72, with approximately 20 wounded being treated at area hospitals.
Kelley, 26, was a resident of New Braunfels, a suburb of San Antonio, according to public records. Kelley was married and his mother-in-law listed a P.O. box in Sutherland Springs as a mailing address. A LinkedIn account appearing to belong to Kelley said he enlisted in the U.S. Air Force in 2009 after graduating from high school.
Kelley was discharged from the Air Force in 2014, according to Defense Department records. Kelley was court-martialed in November 2012 for assaulting his wife and their child. A judge sentenced him with a bad-conduct discharge, 12 months confinement, and two reductions in rank to basic airman, according to an appeals court decision in 2013 that affirmed the decision against Kelley.