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AP: Texas church attacker identified as Devin Kelley

Posted at 4:39 PM, Nov 05, 2017
and last updated 2017-11-05 18:49:48-05

The Latest on a shooting at a church in Texas (all times local):

5:20 p.m.

Two officials have identified the suspect in a mass shooting at a Texas church as Devin Kelley.

The officials - one a U.S. official and the other in law enforcement - spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to discuss the ongoing investigation, which they were briefed on.

The U.S. official says Kelley lived in a suburb of San Antonio and that he doesn't appear to be linked to organized terrorist groups. The official says investigators are looking at social media posts Kelley may have made in the days before Sunday's attack, including one that appeared to show an AR-15 semiautomatic weapon.

Authorities say Kelley walked into the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs and opened fire, killing more than 20 people and wounding at least 10 others.

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5 p.m.

A congregant who wasn't at a Texas church the day of a deadly shooting says his cousins attended and that family members have been told at least one was killed.

Thirty-four-year-old Nick Uhlig says he didn't go to the Sutherland Springs church Sunday because he was out late Saturday. He says the cousin who was killed had three children and was pregnant with a fourth. He didn't know specifics about how the other was doing.

Uhlig says the family had just met days earlier for his cousins' grandfather's funeral.

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4:20 p.m.

The wife of the pastor of the First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs says the couple's 14-year-old daughter was among those killed in a mass shooting at the church.

Sherri Pomeroy, wife of Pastor Frank Pomeroy, said in a text message that she lost her daughter "and many friends" in the Sunday shooting. The text came in response to an interview request sent by The Associated Press to a phone number linked in online records to Frank Pomeroy.

Sherri Pomeroy says both she and her husband were out of town and trying to get back to Sutherland Springs, outside of San Antonio.

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3:30 p.m.

A law enforcement official says more than 20 people have been killed in a shooting at a church in a small town outside San Antonio.

The official, who was briefed on the investigation, says the gunman fled the church in a vehicle after the shooting and was also killed, either by a self-inflicted wound or during a confrontation with police. The official was not authorized to discuss the ongoing investigation and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

The official says between 10 to 15 people were also injured but stressed the investigation was early and the figures could change. Authorities are still trying to determine a motive.

Federal law enforcement swarmed the scene to offer assistance, including ATF investigators and members of the FBI's evidence collection team.

Associated Press writer Sadie Gurman in Washington contributed to this report.

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2:45 p.m.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is calling a reported shooting at a church in a small town outside San Antonio an "evil act."

A sheriff says a man entered First Baptist church in Sutherland Springs, Texas, and started shooting, leaving multiple people dead and injured.

Abbott tweeted Sunday: "Our prayers are with all who were harmed by this evil act." He thanked law enforcement for their response.

The Republican governor has also promised "more details" from the state's Department of Public Safety soon.

Sutherland Springs is about 30 miles (48 kilometers) southeast of San Antonio.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said in a statement that his office "stands ready to assist local law enforcement as needed."

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2:35 p.m.

President Donald Trump has tweeted from Japan that he is monitoring the situation in Texas following a mass shooting at a church.

Trump tweeted: "May God be w/ the people of Sutherland Springs, Texas." He added that the FBI is on the scene.

Trump is in Japan as part of a 12-day, five-country Asian trip.

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2:25 p.m.

A spokeswoman says the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is sending special agents from field offices in Houston and San Antonio to the site of a church shooting in South Texas.

ATF spokeswoman Mary Markos did not immediately have further details.

A sheriff says that a man walked into the church and started firing. Authorities say the attacker is dead.

The number of fatalities or injuries hasn't been confirmed by authorities, but a Wilson County commissioner, Albert Gamez, has told cable news outlets that he was told it was more than 20 killed and 20 wounded, though those figures aren't confirmed.

One hospital about 10 miles from the shooting says there "multiple" victims with gunshot wounds are being treated.

Connally Memorial Medical Center spokeswoman Megan Posey declined to say how many patients were being treated at the hospital, but said the number was less than a dozen. The hospital is in Floresville, Texas.

2:15 p.m.

A County Commissioner in Texas says he's been told that more than 20 people were killed and more than 20 were wounded in an attack at a church, though he says those figures haven't been confirmed.

Albert Gamez, a Wilson County commissioner, made the comments to cable news outlets after the attack Sunday at a Baptist church in Sutherland Springs, a small community 30 miles southeast of San Antonio.

A sheriff says that a man walked into the church and started firing. Authorities say the attacker is dead.

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1:20 p.m.

A sheriff says a man walked into a Baptist church in Sutherland Springs, Texas, and started shooting, leaving multiple people dead.

The Wilson County News reports that Wilson County Sheriff Joe Tackitt said the shooter has been taken down. It wasn't immediately known how many people were killed and wounded or who carried out the attack.

First responders converged on the church in the small town southeast of San Antonio and helicopters are taking victims to hospitals.

Sutherland Springs is a community of about 400 people 30 miles (48 kilometers) southeast of San Antonio.

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1 p.m.

Local news outlets report that several people have been shot at a Baptist Church in South Texas.

Television stations KSAT and KENS report that there are multiple victims and that there is a large police presence at the church in Sutherland Springs, which is 30 miles (48 kilometers) southeast of San Antonio.

KSAT reports that two Airlife helicopters are also at the scene.

A sheriff's department dispatcher says everyone is at the scene and unavailable to comment.

KSAT has video of several fire and police vehicles at the church and a photo of a helicopter that the station says was arriving to take victims to hospitals.