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Texas church shooter escaped mental health facility in 2012, US police say
A US police report issued on Tuesday revealed that Devin P. Kelley, the gunman who killed more than two dozen people in a small church outside San Antonio on Sunday escaped a mental health facility in 2012.
The report added that the former U.S. serviceman who committed the deadliest mass shooting on record in Texas also faced court-martial on domestic violence charges for which he was later convicted at the time.
The person who reported his escape from the mental health facility, according to the report, further warned that Kelley, then aged 21, had been “attempting to carry out death threats” against his military commanders and “suffered from mental disorders.”
Read also: At least 20 killed after gunman opens fire at church in Texas
The mass shooting occurred at the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, about 30 miles from San Antonio, with witness saying that the gunman started shooting about 11.30am local time.
Kelly was later “taken down” by authorities, according to Wilson County Sheriff Joe Tackitt who said that at least 20 people had died, with local media saying it amounted to around half the congregation. The exact number of dead was unclear, with the estimates ranging from 20 to 28. Police official Albert Gamez Jr told CBS News that the number of dead was 27.
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