Public security

26 dead in Texas church shooting, with children among the victims

At least 26 people were shot and killed Sunday when a 26-year-old gunman dressed in black opened fire at a Baptist church in a small town near San Antonio, Texas.

An additional 20 people were injured in the attack, which happened as a church service was underway at First Baptist Church in the town of Sutherland Springs, police said.

Freeman Martin, regional director of the Texas Department of Public Service, said the suspect, wearing a tactical vest, initially began firing with an AR-15-style Ruger rifle outside the church at about 11:20 a.m., then entered the church and continued firing.

After the gunman left the church, a local citizen drew his own weapon and engaged the suspect, who dropped his weapon. It appears that two local residents then pursued the suspect by car into an adjacent county, where the suspect ran off the road and was later found dead in his vehicle with multiple weapons inside, Martin said.