Ex-US Air Force officer guns down 26 at Texas church

A court-martialled former US Air Force airman armed with a powerful assault rifle sprayed bullets on worshippers at a Sunday service at a rural church in Texas, killing at least 26 people and injuring 20 others in the latest gun-related massacre to shock the country. The suspect wearing black tactical-style gear walked into the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs and started firing from an assault rifle just after the Sunday morning service began, officials said. The victims ranged in age from 5 to 72, and among the dead were several children, a pregnant woman and the pastor's 14-year-old daughter.

A candlelight vigil was observed following the mass shooting at the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas, on Sunday. Pics/AFP

Texas Governor Greg Abbott called the slaughter "the largest mass shooting" in the state's history and ordered flags across the state to fly at half-staff. Authorities confirmed that the church shooter was a heavily armed white man, in his 20's, but refused to name him. But the media identified the gunman as Devin Patrick Kelley, 26, who was discharged from the US Air Force in 2014. Police said the gunman crossed the street in his vehicle, got out and began firing from his rifle. He then moved to the right side of the church, continuing to fire and then into the building. As he left, he was confronted by a resident, who grabbed his rifle and then began to fire at him as he fled. The resident then chased the shooter who left the scene in his vehicle before leaving the road at the border with Guadalupe County.

Law enforcement officials continue their investigation at Sutherland Springs Baptist Church

He was found dead inside the vehicle, although authorities are not sure if the shooter died from a self-inflicted wound, or whether it was from the resident. "The exact circumstances of the gunman's death are still under investigation. The wounded individuals were transported to San Antonio Medical Centre and University Hospital in San Antonio," the Texas Department of Public Safety said. The San Antonio FBI branch said there was no indication of the gunman's motive. In a brief statement, the Pentagon said the suspect was an airman "at one point," but additional details about his time in the Air Force were not immediately available.

The US officials said the suspect lived in a San Antonio suburb and does not appear to be linked to organised terrorist groups. The officials said investigators are looking at social media posts Kelley may have made in the days before Sunday's attack in Sutherland Springs, located about 48 km east of San Antonio city.

2014 The year when the gunman was discharged from the US Air Force