Investigators: Texas gunman's attack stemmed from 'a domestic situation'


Investigators said Monday that the suspected 26-year-old lone gunman who opened fire Sunday at the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas, killing 26, was not racially or religiously motivated, The Washington Post reports. "There was a domestic situation going on within the family and the in-laws," said Freeman Martin, the regional director of the Texas Department of Public Safety.
The suspect, identified as Devin Patrick Kelley, was dishonorably discharged from the Air Force in 2014, after he was court-martialed for two counts of assault on his spouse and on their child. Kelley's mother-in-law reportedly attended the church, but was absent Sunday.
Victims of the attack range in age from 18 months to 77 years, and at least 10 people remain in critical condition. Three generations of a single family were killed in the attack. President Trump has said that "mental health is your problem here" and that the attack "isn't a guns situation."
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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.
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