Texas Church Shooting Stopped by Armed Citizens

Armed citizens in Texas stopped an attempted mass shooting before it could even begin on Sunday. Two congregants were shot before a number of other congregants stood up and drew their own weapons to take the shooter down. Three people were shot and killed in all, including the attempted mass murderer. 

Jeoff Williams, the Texas DPS director, offered praise for the quick response of the armed churchgoers who saved the lives of other church members. “The citizens who were inside that church undoubtedly saved 242 other parishioners, and that might get swept aside,” he said. “It was miraculous. The true heroes in all this are the people who were sitting in those pews today and responded, in the immediate responders…it was truly heroic.” 

The church service was being live-streamed at the time of the incident. Videos from the live stream show that the gunman rose up from his pew after the communion and pulled out what looked like a shotgun from under his coat. He fired at two men, who went down immediately. 

As soon as this happened, another man who was at the back of the church – who is reportedly a former FBI agent and a security guard – returned fire on the attacker from around 30 feet away. He killed the gunman in a single shot. 

The whole incident was over in a matter of seconds. The video shows that another four or five church members also moved towards the shooter with their guns drawn, just in case. 

The Daily Mail reports that the ones who responded to the incident were part of the volunteer security team for the church. 

The police haven’t released the identity of the victims or the shooter. FBI agent Matthew DeSarno says that the gunman in the incident was “relatively transient” but that they had roots in the area. DeSarno also stated the gunman had a history of arrests. Just what his motive for the shooting was is currently still under investigation. 

“Our hearts go out to the victims and families of those killed in the evil act of violence that occurred at the West Freeway Church of Christ,” said Gov. Greg Abbott in a statement. “Places of worship are meant to be sacred, and I am grateful for the church members who acted quickly to take down the shooter and help prevent further loss of life.”

No matter how you feel about gun control laws, it’s clear that the responders saved a lot of lives that day. Let’s try to remember the fallen and commend the bravery of the citizen responders who saved countless lives.