Heart Broken
My heart is broken! Every person in the United States should be heartbroken as we learn of yet another senseless shooting that has claimed the lives of young and old, men and women, and the mass chaos that has now came into Sutherland Springs, Texas.
On Sunday, a gunman dressed in black and tactical gear, opened fire outside a small Baptist church in Sutherland Springs. He proceeded into the First Baptist Church where he began firing at parishioners and when he left, he left behind a trail of carnage that will be felt within the town for a long time. 26 people killed and 20 injured are the latest statistics that I am hearing. Ages of the dead range from 5-72, which truly breaks my heart. As a grandmother, I can't imagine anyone shooting a 5 year old child inside a church. My mind won't allow me to process that and when I begin to think of it, my heart just breaks.
Reports are saying that one family was deeply affected by this shooting as a pregnant mother, her in-laws, and three of her children were killed. The pastor and his wife were not at the church at the time of the shooting, but their 14 year old daughter was and she was one of the victims of this deadly attack.
The gunman has been identified as 26 year old Devin Kelley , a former member of the United States Air Force that had been discharged following a court marshal by the military in 2010 for assaulting his wife and child. This man was obviously very disturbed and possibly suffered from mental illness, but this type of an attack was senseless. Mr. Kelley died following the shooting and a short pursuit by a local Texas resident carrying a rifle that seen Kelley leaving the church. It is not clear whether Kelley died of a self -inflicted gunshot wound or if he was shot by the resident. However, I truly believe that the gentleman that followed after him with the rifle is truly a hero and possibly kept Kelley from killing many more as he had a variety of weapons in his car.
We, as Americans are becoming used to hearing of these types of shootings and hopefully, we are not becoming less shocked by them. Columbine, Sandy Hook, New York, Boston marathon, Las Vegas just to name a few of these types of attacks, although not all were shootings. We must stay vigilant and we must be pushing for better mental health care. We must say something when we see something or hear something that might seem as though someone is having trouble. We must push for stricter punishments with behavior that could lead to this type of an attack.
I pray that today you will remember these victims, whether you knew any of them or not and pray for the family of the shooter because he was someone's dad and son, although it is hard to pray for him. Pray for the many lives that are forever changed due to one senseless act. Pray for the survivors' of the attack because we can't imagine the pain they are feeling and the sights that they witnessed. Pray for the children that were in this building as the innocence that they have is now gone. Pray for the town as it was a small rural area where everyone probably knew the victims or part of them. Pray for peace and pray for these types of attacks to be stopped. Innocent lives are being taken and we need to find a way to stop it.
#prayforTexas
On Sunday, a gunman dressed in black and tactical gear, opened fire outside a small Baptist church in Sutherland Springs. He proceeded into the First Baptist Church where he began firing at parishioners and when he left, he left behind a trail of carnage that will be felt within the town for a long time. 26 people killed and 20 injured are the latest statistics that I am hearing. Ages of the dead range from 5-72, which truly breaks my heart. As a grandmother, I can't imagine anyone shooting a 5 year old child inside a church. My mind won't allow me to process that and when I begin to think of it, my heart just breaks.
Reports are saying that one family was deeply affected by this shooting as a pregnant mother, her in-laws, and three of her children were killed. The pastor and his wife were not at the church at the time of the shooting, but their 14 year old daughter was and she was one of the victims of this deadly attack.
The gunman has been identified as 26 year old Devin Kelley , a former member of the United States Air Force that had been discharged following a court marshal by the military in 2010 for assaulting his wife and child. This man was obviously very disturbed and possibly suffered from mental illness, but this type of an attack was senseless. Mr. Kelley died following the shooting and a short pursuit by a local Texas resident carrying a rifle that seen Kelley leaving the church. It is not clear whether Kelley died of a self -inflicted gunshot wound or if he was shot by the resident. However, I truly believe that the gentleman that followed after him with the rifle is truly a hero and possibly kept Kelley from killing many more as he had a variety of weapons in his car.
We, as Americans are becoming used to hearing of these types of shootings and hopefully, we are not becoming less shocked by them. Columbine, Sandy Hook, New York, Boston marathon, Las Vegas just to name a few of these types of attacks, although not all were shootings. We must stay vigilant and we must be pushing for better mental health care. We must say something when we see something or hear something that might seem as though someone is having trouble. We must push for stricter punishments with behavior that could lead to this type of an attack.
I pray that today you will remember these victims, whether you knew any of them or not and pray for the family of the shooter because he was someone's dad and son, although it is hard to pray for him. Pray for the many lives that are forever changed due to one senseless act. Pray for the survivors' of the attack because we can't imagine the pain they are feeling and the sights that they witnessed. Pray for the children that were in this building as the innocence that they have is now gone. Pray for the town as it was a small rural area where everyone probably knew the victims or part of them. Pray for peace and pray for these types of attacks to be stopped. Innocent lives are being taken and we need to find a way to stop it.
#prayforTexas
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