WHITE SETTLEMENT, Texas (AP) A gunman who killed two people during a Texas church service was fatally shot within seconds by armed congregants, said Texas officials, who hailed the states gun laws that allow weapons in places of worship.
More than 240 parishioners were in the West Freeway Church in the Fort Worth area town of White Settlement at the time of the shooting on Sunday, authorities said.
Parishioner Isabel Arreola told the Star-Telegram that she sat near the gunman and that shed never seen him before Sundays service. She said he appeared to be wearing a disguise, perhaps a fake beard, and that he made her uncomfortable.
She said the man stood up, pulled a shotgun from his clothing, opened fire and was quickly shot by two congregants who were part of a volunteer security team.
I was so surprised because I did not know that so many in the church were armed, she said.
Tiffany Wallace told Dallas TV station KXAS that her father, Anton Tony Wallace, was one of the victims killed in the attack. She said her father was a deacon at the church and had just passed out communion when the gunman approached him.
I ran toward my dad and the last thing I remember is him asking for oxygen and I was just holding him, telling him I loved him and that he was going to make it, Wallace said.
Wallace said her father was rushed to a hospital but he did not survive.
You just wonder why? How can someone so evil, the devil, step into the church and do this, she said.
At a press conference Sunday night, Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said the gunman was killed within six seconds of opening fire. Patrick hailed the states gun laws, including a measure enacted earlier this year that allowed licensed guns in places of worship, unless the facility bans them.
Two of the parishioners who were volunteers of the security force drew their weapons and took out the killer immediately, saving untold number of lives, Patrick said.
Britt Farmer, senior minister of the church, said, We lost two great men today, but it could have been a lot worse.
Officials have not released the names of the victims or the gunman. FBI Special Agent in Charge Matthew DeSarno said theyre working to identify the gunmans motive, adding that he is relatively transient but had roots in the area.
DeSarno also said the gunman had been arrested multiple times in the past but declined to give details.
An elder at the church told the New York Times that one of those killed was a security guard who responded to the shooter, calling him a dear friend.
