A mother who died as she shielded her four young children when a gunman opened fire inside a Texas church on Sunday helped save her five-year-old son and one of her daughters.
Joann Ward pushed her nine-year-old daughter Rihanna to the floor when a gunman sprayed shots inside the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, then embraced her three other children, according to an account shared by a family friend on Facebook.
‘I didn’t get shot because I was hiding, and Momma covered Emily, Ryland and Brooke,’ Rihanna, who had her glasses shot off her face but survived the attack, recounted, according to the post by the family friend, Vonda Greek Smith.
Joann Ward (pictured) was among the 26 people gunned down when Devin Patrick Kelley burst into the First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs in Texas and opened fire
Sisters six-year-old Brooke (left) and eight-year-old Emily Garza (pictured, right, sitting on the right, next to her sister Rihanna) were killed in the shooting according to her family. Nine-year-old Rihanna (sitting next to Emily) had her glasses shot off her face but survived
Five-year-old Ryland Ward (pictured) was found clinging to life among the pews by his aunt after his mother and sisters were shot dead in front of him in the Texas church massacre, it has emerged
Twenty-six churchgoers were killed in the shooting. Joann Ward and daughter Brooke, five, were among those who died at the scene. Ward’s daughter Emily, seven, died at the hospital.
Her son, five-year-old Ryland, was shot five times and was in critical condition after surgery, according to a GoFundMe page set up by a relative, Heather Bradley, to raise money for the family.
‘Ryland survived multiple gunshot wounds, went thru extensive surgeries and will have a very long road back to full recovery,’ Smith said on Facebook.
At the time of the shooting, Ward’s husband Chris was at home sleeping after working a night shift, the Dallas Morning News reported.
The children’s aunt, Leslie Ward, was at her nearby home when she heard gunshots and awakened her husband, Michael Ward, the newspaper reported. He went to the church and carried out his nephew Ryland.
Mr Ward said Ryland’s father, Chris (pictured), had run to the church without putting his shoes on after being told a shooting had taken place
Twenty-six churchgoers were killed in the shooting. Joann Ward and daughter Brooke (second left), five, were among those who died at the scene. Ward’s daughter Emily (second right), seven, died at the hospital. Her children Rhianna (left) and Rayland (right) survived
A photo of Brooke taken in the church a week ago, according to the GoFundMe page, showed her smiling, her blonde pigtails braided, and sitting in a ruffled skirt on the pastor’s motorcycle
He told his brother of the tragedy. ‘I’m not lying to you, Chris, they’re all shot,’ Michael Ward recalled saying, according to the newspaper.
Chris Ward ran to the church without even putting on his shoes after learning the shooting had taken place.
The Wards were longtime members of First Baptist, and the congregation felt ‘like a family’, grandmother Sandy Ward told MSNBC.
A photo of Brooke taken in the church a week ago, according to the GoFundMe page, showed her smiling, her blonde pigtails braided, and sitting in a ruffled skirt on the pastor’s motorcycle.
Another showed the child beaming as she held up her Kindergarten Perfect Attendance Award and Citizenship Certificate, both dated last month.
Devin Patrick Kelley (pictured left and right) walked into the First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs, dressed in full combat gear, and began shooting, according to local law enforcement sources
The shooting happened at the First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs (pictured), where around 50 people usually attend service, according to local reports
‘Joann was the most wonderful mom any child could wish for and her children were always laughing and loving life,’ Ward’s uncle John Alexander wrote on the GoFundMe page.
Kelley, a married father, walked into the First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs, dressed in black, tactical gear with a ballistics belt and an assault rifle, and began shooting, according to local law enforcement sources.
The attack only stopped when Kelley, of New Braunfels, a suburb of San Antonio, was confronted by local hero Stephen Willeford, 55, who shot him through a gap in his body armor as the gunman tried to leave the church.
Kelley was reportedly killed by that same brave neighbor following a high speed car chase.
Wilson County Commissioner Albert Gamez Jr told CNN that at least 26 people were killed in the shooting, but the death toll is expected to climb. Victims include a two-year-old girl, a pregnant woman and the 14-year-old daughter of the pastor.