Vice President Mike Pence spoke about the strength of the small community at a vigil held on a football field near the church where an armed man killed 26 parishioners three days ago.
‘Three days ago, evil descended on this small town,’ he said while standing next to his wife on the football field of a local high school in the small Texas town. He was also joined by Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Texas Governor Greg Abbot.
‘Karen and I have come to this place with a heavy heart. Faith is stronger than evil. I’m here as vice president to ensure that the full resources of the United States are brought to bear.
‘The American people are with you. We will never leave your side.’
After he spoke Pence gave hugs to members of the congregation, including the pastors and the two heroes who confronted Kelley in the church and chased him down the freeway.
Vice President Mike Pence spoke about the strength of the small community at a vigil held on a football field near the church where an armed man killed 26 parishioners three days ago
‘The American people are with you. We will never leave your side,’ he told the people who attended the vigil
Pence hugs Stephen Willeford, the man who confronted the shooter as he left First Baptist Church On Sunday
He gave the speech as he stood next to his wife on the football field of a local high school in the small Texas town. He was also joined by Senator Ted Cruz (pictured far right) Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Texas Governor Greg Abbot, who are not pictured
Just before the vigil he spoke at a press conference in front of the in front of the First Baptist Church of Sunderland Springs, saying that the weight of blame lies on the gunman and on failed Air Force bureaucracy.
He said the gunman, David Kelley, lied on his background check application when buying the weapons, and cited Kelley’s mental illness and bureaucratic failings within the Air Force for the tragedy.
‘He lied on his application,’ Pence explained, regarding why Kelley was able to buy the gun in the first place.
‘He had a history of mental illness and there were bureaucratic failures. We will find out why this information was not properly reported in 2012 and we are working with leaders in congress to ensure this never happens again.’
Pence said President Donald Trump had authorized a full complement of federal resources to the investigation, including 100 on-site FBI agents.
He said the military branch will deliver results of the internal investigation quickly.
After he spoke Pence gave hugs to members of the congregation, including the pastors and the two heroes who confronted Kelley in the church and chased him down the freeway
Second Lady Karen Pence, center, hugs Sherri Pomeroy as her husband, Pastor Frank Pomeroy, stands at right, outside the church after the vice president addressed the press
Just before the vigil he spoke at a press conference in front of the in front of the First Baptist Church of Sunderland Springs, saying that the weight of blame lies on the gunman and on failed Air Force bureaucracy
Before Sunday’s tragedy Kelley was discharged from the force because he was court-martialed for a domestic assault.
A review is currently underway to determine why his name was not submitted to a national register that would have prevented from from legally buying the weapons he used in Sunday’s assault.
Pence began his trip to Texas Wednesday by visiting Brooke Army Medical Center at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio to meet with victims wounded in the shooting.
Then he, his wife and Texas officials met with victims’ families, first-responders and two men who pursued the gunman at Floresville High School. Floresville is the Wilson County seat and the closest town of significant size to Sutherland Springs.
Pence began his trip to Texas Wednesday by visiting Brooke Army Medical Center at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio to meet with victims wounded in the shooting. He is pictured hugging a woman later in the day as he visited victims’ families
Pence, his wife and Texas officials met with victims’ families, first-responders and two men who pursued the gunman at Floresville High School. Floresville is the Wilson County seat and the closest town of significant size to Sutherland Springs
Pence is pictured hugging John Holcombe, whose parents, wife, three of her children, a brother and a niece died Sunday
Pence is pictured hugging seven-year-old Evelyn Holcombe, whose mother and three siblings were all shot dead in the church. She and her step-father managed to escape
Pence spoke to John Holcombe, whose parents, wife, three of her children, a brother and a niece died Sunday. Holcombe and his wife’s seven-year-old daughter, Evelyn, managed to run out of the church. Holcombe was treated for shrapnel injuries and released from the hospital Monday.
Phillip Holcombe, the eldest of Crystal’s children, was also at the library. His aunt, Torie McCollum, told AP earlier that she worries most about Phillip, known as PJ, because he had already experienced the death of their father, Peter Hill, from congenital heart failure in 2011.
Sessions told members of the Johnson family ‘the country’s grieving.’ The Johnsons are relatives of Lula White, the shooter’s wife’s grandmother who was among the more than two dozen killed in Sunday’s shooting. He told the Johnsons that he had just come from their First Baptist and that he ‘grew up in a church smaller than that one. Church is family.’
Video of the attack, captured by a camera that recorded services for online posting, showed Kelley deliberately executing people, according to The New York Times, citing an unnamed law enforcement official.
The attack lasted approximately seven minutes and the gunman methodically shot his victims, including children, in the head, according to The Times.
Vice President Mike Pence and Attorney General Jeff Sessions joined Texas Gov. Greg Abbott in meeting with the families of victims killed in Sunday’s mass shooting at a South Texas church.