Texas Gunman Escaped Mental Facility, Made Death Threats to Military Superiors
Law enforcement officials have revealed the gunman who killed 26 people at the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas on Sunday was more potentially dangerous than they originally thought.
Devin Patrick Kelley escaped from a mental health facility in New Mexico in 2012. The Air Force confirmed Tuesday he had received treatment at the facility after being placed under pre-trial confinement.
He was facing a court-martial after being charged with assaulting his then-wife and hitting her child so hard that he fractured the boy's skull. Kelley was sentenced to 12 months in a military jail for the assault.
Kelley was also caught trying to bring guns onto Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico when he was stationed there, according to an El Paso, Texas, police report released Tuesday. He had also made death threats against this superior officers.
The Air Force also confirmed they did not enter Kelley's criminal record into the federal database as required by military rules. If the process had been completed, this could have been enough to deny him the opportunity to legally purchase a firearm.
Authorities recovered a Ruger AR-556 rifle at the scene and two handguns from his vehicle. All three weapons were purchased by Kelley, according to Fred Milanowski, the agent in charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives in Houston.
New details also show Sunday was not the first time Kelley had visited the church. He attended the congregation's fall festival just a few days before his shooting rampage.
Meanwhile, vigils for the victims continue in the small south Texas town.
"It helps us to bond together as almost like a family. It's really nice to know these people are supporting each other, without each other and without God in our lives, we would be lost," Melissa Bradley said.
Vice President Mike Pence and his wife are traveling to Sutherland Springs today to meet with the survivors and their families.
