Pence Offers Support At Texas Vigil For Victims' Families

SUTHERLAND SPRINGS, TX — Vice President Mike Pence attended an evening prayer service Wednesday for victims of the worst mass shooting in Texas history, offering words of support laced with Biblical references of perseverance and hope.

"We gather today in the wake of an unspeakable act," Pence told the crowd, noting the nine children who died in the shooting rampage. "I know the cherished names of the fallen will live on forever in the hearts of all who knew them. But let me assure you, their names will also be enshrined in the hearts of every American."

At times emotional, Pence delivered his remarks at the Floresville High School football stadium, located about 13 miles from the site of the mass shooting at the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs. The football stadium served as makeshift chapel, where residents gathered to hear him speak.

Pence identified some of the fallen by name: Haley Krueger, 16, who loved children and dreamed of becoming a pediatric nurse when she grew up; the Holcombe family who lost eight of their members in the massacre; Robert Michael Corrigan and Shani Louise Corrigan, both 51, and childhood sweethearts; he a 30-year veteran of the U.S. Air Force.

He mentioned Joann Lookingbill Ward, 30, who shielded her children from the hail of bullets in an attempt to save them. Two of Ward’s children — 7-year-old Emily and 5-year-old Brooke — died in their mother’s arms despite her efforts.

"And mostly we find hope in a community of faith, and the courage of a mother, Joann Ward, who shielded her children with her own body, and in death saved her 5-year-old son and 9-year-old daughter, in her last moment living out the truth of no greater love. The Bible tells us the Lord is close to the brokenhearted, and that will be our prayer for them from this day forward," Pence said.

Pence also thanked the emergency workers who responded to the scene: "We find hope in the heroic actions of men and woman of law enforcement, the first responders, all the outstanding medical professionals — surgeons, nurses, and EMTs — who undoubtedly saved lives by their swift action that day."

Pence also acknowledged Stephen Willeford and Johnnie Langendorff, the former grabbing his rifle to neutralize the shooter post-rampage after being picked up by the latter in his pickup truck as both gave chase in pursuit of the assassin. The shooter, Devin Kelley, 26, was found dead in his vehicle with three gunshot wounds, the third self-inflicted. The mention of Willeford and Langendorff prompted a standing ovation from those gathered accompanied with extended applause.

"And we find inspiration in those Texas heroes who pursued the attacker in a high-speed chase, and saved the lives of Americans as a result."

Prior to the service, the vice president and his wife, Karen Pence, had private visits with injured victims and their families at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio. Eleven victims injured in the rampage remain hospitalized, with conditions ranging from critical to good.

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"Three days ago, evil descended on this small town, and on this small church," Pence said, while standing outside the First Baptist Church, under cloudy skies and a chilly evening registering at 48 degrees, in the small town of Sutherland Springs. "We gather today to grieve with those who grieve," he added. "We are with you, and the American people are with you."

Pence vowed to close existing loopholes like the one that enabled Kelley to purchase firearms despite existing prohibitions given his history of violence and mental illness.

“He lied on his application," Pence said. "He had a history of mental illness, and there were bureaucratic failures,” Pence said. “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.”

Prior to his remarks, Pence also had a briefing with local law enforcement. He noted during his remarks at the football stadium that some 100 FBI agents were working on the investigation into the shooting.

When the vice president's plane, Air Force 2, touched down at Randolph Air Force Base in San Antonio, Pence was met by Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick. Texas Reps. Will Hurd, a San Antonio Republican, and Henry Cuellar, a Democrat from Laredo who joined Pence on his Texas visit. Cuellar's district includes Sutherland Springs. U.S. Senator Ted Cruz, a Republican from Texas, also joined Pence.

Pence telegraphed his planned Texas visit via Twitter earlier this week. "We are with you Texas," he wrote at the time.

The Texas Department of Public Safety earlier on Wednesday released the full list of the victims. The fallen are:

• Robert Scott Marshall, 56
• Karen Sue Marshall, 56
• Keith Allen Braden, 62
• Tara E. McNulty, 33
• Annabelle Renae Pomeroy, 14
• Peggy Lynn Warden, 56
• Dennis Neil Johnson, Sr. 77
• Sara Johns Johnson, 68
• Lula Woicinski White, 71
• Joann Lookingbill Ward, 30
• Brooke Bryanne Ward, 5
• Robert Michael Corrigan, 51
• Shani Louise Corrigan, 51
• Therese Sagan Rodriguez, 66
• Ricardo Cardona Rodriguez, 64
• Haley Krueger, 16
• Emily Garcia (died at the hospital), 7
• Emily Rose Hill, 11
• Gregory Lynn Hill, 13
• Megan Gail Hill, 9
• Marc Daniel Holcombe, 36
• Noah Holcombe ,1
• Karla Plain Holcombe, 58
• John Bryan Holcombe, 60
• Crystal Marie Holcombe (pregnant*), 36
• *Carlin Brite "Billy Bob" Holcombe (unborn)

Also See: Vice President Pence Honors Texas Victims At Prayer Vigil

Image via AP Photo/David J. Phillip

Tony Cantú contributed to this report