FORT WORTH, Texas — A Texas grand jury decided Monday to take no action against a man who fatally shot an armed man who killed two people in late December at a Fort Worth-area church.
Jack Wilson is a firearms instructor who trained the volunteer security team at the West Freeway Church of Christ in White Settlement, Texas.
He fatally shot Keith Thomas Kinnunen during a Dec. 29 service after he shot another security volunteer and a communion server.
The gunman was heading to the front of the sanctuary when Wilson fired a single fatal shot. KXAS-TV in Dallas reports that there were about 250 people in the church at the time of the shooting.
“Texas law allows an individual, when they witness somebody placing others at risk of serious bodily injury or death, to act with deadly force to protect the other individuals,” said Tim Rodgers, chief prosecutor for the Law Enforcement Incident team in the Tarrant County Criminal District Attorney’s Office. “Mr. Wilson did just that. He did it responsibly and, as a result, he was justified under the law in his actions.”
According to NPR, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott awarded Wilson the Governor's Medal of Courtage in January following the shooting.
The Forth Worth Star-Telegram reports that it is common for a grand jury to review a homicide to determine if criminal charges are warranted.
