Two heroic locals have been praised for stopping the worst mass shooting in Texas which left at least 27 dead.
Devin Patrick Kelley, 26, was leaving First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs after he opened fire on parishioners during mass when a local man grabbed his rifle.
Texas Department of Public Safety Regional Director Freeman Martin said that the neighbor, who has not yet been named, had ‘grabbed his rifle and engaged the suspect.’
Kelley fled the skirmish and got back in his SUV to flee the scene, Martin said.
Johnnie Langendorff (left) gave chase after he saw Devin Patrick Kelley, 26, (right) trying to flee the scene following the massacre at First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs
Kelley lost control of his car during the chase which spun off the road (pictured)
Footage from the scene shows Langendorff’s truck, circled, still on the road. He said after Kelley swerved off the road, he’d put his vehicle in park while the neighbor got his gun ready
But another local resident, Johnnie Langendorff, had witnessed the gun battle and both he and the unnamed neighbor jumped in his truck and gave chase.
In a Facebook post, Langendorff’s girlfriend Summer Caddel described how the pair had ‘jumped in my boyfriend’s truck and they chased that sick b*****d down in pursuit until the cops could catch up. He was able to run the shooter off of the road on 539!’
Langendorff told ABC 12 that he’d been speeding at 95mph, while on the phone to dispatch, while the neighbor kept his rifle trained on the gunman’s car.
In a Facebook post, Langendorff’s girlfriend Summer Caddel (pictured with him) described how the pair had ‘jumped in my boyfriend’s truck and they chased that sick b*****d down in pursuit until the cops could catch up
Langendorff told ABC 12 that he’d been speeding at 95mph, while on the phone to dispatch, while the neighbor kept his rifle trained on the gunman’s car
Caddel added that Kelley was gunned down with a few feet from her boyfriend (pictured at the scene) by the neighbor who had been in a gun battle with the shooter after he left the church
As they approached a sharp curve in the road, near the 307 and 539, he said Kelley appeared to lose control and his car swerved off the road.
‘That’s when I put the truck in park,’ he said. ‘The other gentleman jumped out, and had his rifle on him. He didn’t move after that.’
Caddel added that Kelley was gunned down with a few feet from her boyfriend.
Martin confirmed that police had found Kelley dead, saying that: ‘We are not sure if it was self inflicted or if he was shot by a local resident.’
Cops also found multiple weapons and possible explosives in the vehicle.
The shooting happened at the First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs (pictured), where around 50 people usually attend service, according to local reports
Wilson County Commissioner Albert Gamez Jr said that at least 27 people have been killed in the shooting, but the death toll is expected to climb
More than 20 people have been killed inside a Texas church – including a two-year-old child – after the gunman dressed in full combat gear opened fire during the morning service before cops shot him dead. First Baptist Church Pastor Frank Pomeroy’s (right with his wife Sherri) 14-year-old daughter, Annabelle (left), is among the dead
Neither Langendorff nor the neighbor were injured.
Caddel said she was ‘beyond thankful that my boyfriend chased that sick ass down before he did anymore damage.’
Langendorff, of Seguin, Texas, worked at NAPA Auto Parts, according to his Facebook page which has been swamped with words of praise from people hailing him as a hero for his part in taking down Kelley.
Police confirmed during a press conference that at least 27, including the shooter, were killed during the incident.