‘One beautiful girl, and a special child’: Pastor’s grief as his daughter, 14, is the first of at least 26 dead to be named after a gunman shot up a Texas church Sunday morning
First Baptist Church Pastor Frank Pomeroy’s 14-year-old daughter is the first victim to be identified
Bryan and Karla Holcombe, a retired couple who attended the church for 25 years, are also among the dead
Mother-of-four Joann Ward and three of her children were shot, and family are waiting to hear their condition
At least 26 people were shot dead by gunman and at least 24 others are being treated for injuries
Victims range in age from five to 72, with one five-year-old boy shot multiple times now in surgery
Police said the gunman walked into the First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs in Texas and opened fire
Another witness said the man, who isn’t from the Sutherland Springs community, was dressed ‘in full gear’
Gunman identified as Devin Patrick Kelley, 26, of suburban San Antonio died after an armed citizen pursuit
By KEITH GRIFFITH and ABIGAIL MILLER
DAILYMAIL.COM
5 November 2017
The first victim in the shooting at a Texas church on Sunday morning has been named as the 14-year-old daughter of the pastor.
First Baptist Church Pastor Frank Pomeroy told ABC that his daughter Annabelle is one of the dead, calling her ‘one beautiful girl, and a ‘special child.’
She is among at least 26 dead and 24 injured in Sunday’s shooting, which took place when a gunman dressed in full combat gear opened fire during a morning service around 11.20am.
The shooter has been identified by law enforcement sources as 26-year-old Devin Patrick Kelley of suburban San Antonio, who died after he was confronted and pursued by an armed hero citizen.
The victims ranged in age from five to 72, with two killed outside the church, 23 killed inside, and one person who died after medical transport, officials said. A pregnant woman and children were among the dead.
Sunday school teacher Karla Holcombe and her husband Bryan also died in the rampage, their family confirmed.
The couple ran a canvas repair shop before retiring and had attended the church for 25 years.
‘My father was a good man and he loved to preach. He had a good heart. They knew where they were going. There’s peace in that,’ their son Scott Holcombe told the Herald-Tribune.
Mother-of-four Joann Ward and three of her children were also shot, and family members are anxiously awaiting word of their condition, a family friend told the LA Times.
Ward’s six-year-old stepson Rylan, who was shot four times, and eight-year-old daughter Emily are both in emergency surgery. Six-year-old Brooke is also believed to have been shot and her condition is unknown.
Her nine-year-old daughter Rihanna escaped injury by hiding under a pew as shots rang out.
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