Texas shooting suspect was court-martialed for assault on spouse and child


A military spokesperson confirmed Sunday night that Devin Patrick Kelley, the 26-year-old man identified as the shooter who killed at least 26 people at a church in Sutherland Springs, Texas, on Sunday, was dishonorably discharged from the Air Force in 2014, after he was court-martialed for assault.
In 2010, he started working in logistics readiness at Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico, Ann Stefanek, chief of media operations for the Air Force, said in a statement. In 2012, he was court-martialed for two counts of assault on his spouse and on their child, and was convicted and sentenced to 12 months in custody and received a bad conduct discharge.
Under federal law, Kelley's dishonorable discharge prohibited him from purchasing a firearm, the Los Angeles Times reports, and officials said they do not know how he obtained the multiple weapons they found in his car after the shooting.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
Brooklyn vs. the Beckhams: trouble in paradise
In the Spotlight Scion of the Beckham clan and billionaire heiress wife Nicola Peltz staged an elaborate vow renewal – and none of his family were on the guest list
-
August 21 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Thursday's political cartoons include AI-driven water shortages, Sharpie-corrected slavery, and airstrikes on Washington, D.C.
-
Alien: Earth – a 'bold' prequel to the space horror classic
The Week Recommends Set two years before Alien, new Disney show pays 'homage' to the original
-
Trump says Smithsonian too focused on slavery's ills
Speed Read The president would prefer the museum to highlight 'success,' 'brightness' and 'the future'
-
Trump to host Kennedy Honors for Kiss, Stallone
Speed Read Actor Sylvester Stallone and the glam-rock band Kiss were among those named as this year's inductees
-
White House seeks to bend Smithsonian to Trump's view
Speed Read The Smithsonian Institution's 21 museums are under review to ensure their content aligns with the president's interpretation of American history
-
Charlamagne Tha God irks Trump with Epstein talk
Speed Read The radio host said the Jeffrey Epstein scandal could help 'traditional conservatives' take back the Republican Party
-
CBS cancels Colbert's 'Late Show'
Speed Read 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' is ending next year
-
A long weekend in Zürich
The Week Recommends The vibrant Swiss city is far more than just a banking hub
-
Shakespeare not an absent spouse, study proposes
speed read A letter fragment suggests that the Shakespeares lived together all along, says scholar Matthew Steggle
-
New Mexico to investigate death of Gene Hackman, wife
speed read The Oscar-winning actor and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead in their home with no signs of foul play