Texas Resident Grabbed His Rifle, Stopped Church Shooting Suspect

SUTHERLAND SPRINGS, TX — A local resident who stopped Devin Patrick Kelley from firing his semi-automatic rifle at First Baptist Church parishioners, an attack which left 26 dead and at least 20 more injured, is being hailed as a hero Monday morning. The resident was identified in multiple reports as Stephen Willeford, 55, a local plumber, who grabbed his own rifle and confronted Kelley to end the deadliest shooting in Texas history.

Kelley, 26, had dropped his rifle in the church and was exiting the building when Willeford confronted him outside. Kelley, clad all in black with a bullet-proof vest, also had a pistol and the men exchanged gunfire before Kelley ran to a nearby pearl-colored Ford Explorer and left the scene. Willeford hailed down a passerby and, after briefing him on the situation, they pursued Kelley until the Explorer crashed near the county line.

Johnnie Langendorff, the passerby, was on his way to his girlfriend's house when he saw the resident exchanging gunfire with Kelley. When Kelley drove away, Langendorff and Willeford began chasing him.

“[I was] just trying to get him, to get him apprehended or whatever needed to happened. I mean it was just strictly acting on what the right thing to do was,” Langendorff said. They gave chase in Langendorff’s truck for 11 miles and called police dispatch to tell them where they were and what direction they were headed, CNN reported.

"The vehicle was in sight and I was picking up, getting closer and closer to it. We hit about 95 (mph) ... trying to catch this guy until he eventually lost control on his own and went off into the ditch," Langendorff said. "The gentleman that was with me got out and rested his rifle on my hood and kept it aimed at him (the shooter), telling him to get out. There was no movement, there was none of that. I just know his brake lights were going on and off, so he might've been unconscious from the crash or something like that. I'm not sure."

The heroic resident was "shook up" on Monday and "wishes he had acted sooner," said Ken Leonard, Willeford's cousin. Leonard said his cousin had heard gunshots at his home and his daughter went to investigate. She came back and said someone was shooting at the church. Leonard said Willeford got his rifle and ran barefoot to the church where he encountered the gunman.

Kevin Jordan, a neighbor, told KENS-TV that he saw Willeford taking cover behind a car and exchanging gunfire with the shooter. Jordan says he doesn’t think the shooter would have stopped if it wasn’t for Willeford.

Willeford and his wife, Pam Farmer Willeford, have grown children, and are both pictured on his Facebook page riding motorcycles. Willeford is also involved in an organization called Quilts of Honor, heavy.comreported. In January 2016, he presented a handmade quilt honoring the military service of Jeff Leonard, an Army veteran who lives in La Vernia, Texas, according to the local newspaper. And he has also dressed as Santa Claus and handed out gifts to local kids.

Authorities said Monday night that the gunman died of a self-inflicted head shot after he crashed his car and had three gunshot wounds total. They say Kelley also used his cellphone to tell his father that he had been shot and didn't think he would survive. Authorities said an "armed citizen" shot Kelley twice, once in the leg and once in the torso.

Leonard said Willeford, who he described as the "Atticus Finch" of the county, believes he shot Kelley three times during their gun battle. Leonard said Willeford aimed for the gunman's side because he noticed Kelley's body armor did not protect the side of his body, CNN reported.

Kelley opened fire about 11:30 a.m. Sunday during morning worship services. Wilson County Sheriff Joe Tackitt said that Kelley went around the outside of the church firing rounds before entering and shooting at parishioners.

The sheriff said he did not have a motive, but added that Kelley’s in-laws had previously attended the church on several occasions. They were not in town on Sunday.

Authorities say Kelley had sent threatening text messages to his mother-in-law, the Associated Press reported. Texas Department of Public Safety Regional Director Freeman Martin said Monday that the mass shooting stemmed from a domestic situation and was not racially or religiously motivated.

Kelley's grandmother-in-law, Lula White, died in the massacre Sunday, multiple friends told CNN. White was the grandmother of Kelley's wife and volunteered frequently at the church, according to friends and her Facebook profile.

Image via AP Photo/David J. Phillip