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Over 25 Slain in Church Massacre; President Trump Says It’s A Mental Health Issue, Not A “Guns Situation”

President Trump in Tokyo

The Texas church shooting is being said to be motivated by domestic issues.

On Sunday, November 5, during a church service, gunman Devin Kelly opened fire at worshippers, fatally shooting 26 people while hurting over 20 others.

Over 25 Slain in Church Massacre; President Trump Says It’s A Mental Health Issue, Not A “Guns Situation”[/tweetthis]

Dubbed by Texas Governor Greg Abbott as “the largest mass shooting in [the] state’s history,” the tragic event happened in the most unlikely place, First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, a small town. The individuals who were killed ranged from 18 months to 77-years-old. Eight members of the same family spanning three generations were killed. Four percent of Sutherland Springs’ population were slain.

According to Freeman Martin, a spokesman for the Texas Department of Public Safety, “The suspect’s mother-in-law attended this church. We know that he had made threatening texts and we can’t go into detail into that domestic situation that is continuing to be vetted and thoroughly investigated.” Martin confirmed that the act was not racially or religiously motivated.

After the gunman stopped shooting and left the church, a local resident took his own rifle and engaged Kelly. The gunman “dropped his ‘Ruger AR assault-type rifle’ and fled.” The resident chased after him. Kelly later crashed his car approximately eight miles from the church and he was found dead inside the car. It is not known if he died because of a gunshot he inflicted on himself or a gunshot wound inflicted by the resident.

President Donald Trump is attributing the mass shooting to a mental health issue, not a “gun’s situation.” He called it “a mental health problem at the highest level.” Trump called Kelly “a very deranged individual.” The suspect is formerly from the US Air Force, was court-martialed five years ago for assaulting his child and space and later discharged for bad behavior. Trump “dismissed guns as the root of the problem.” He spoke about how a resident with a rifle was able to confront Kelly.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton expressed that people in church should carry more guns, as evidenced by the tragic mass shooting. “This is going to happen again. You can’t necessarily keep guns out of the hands of people who are going to violate the law.” He continued, “All I can say is in Texas, at least we have the opportunity to have conceal carry. There’s always the opportunity that the gunman will be taken out before he has the opportunity to kill very many people.”

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