The gunman who killed 26 people at a Texas church had sent threatening texts to his mother-in-law — who attended the church he targeted, authorities said Monday.
Devin Patrick Kelley had domestic problems and texted his mother-in-law as recently as Sunday morning, not long before he carried out the largest mass shooting in Texas history.
“We know that he expressed anger towards his mother-in-law, who attends this church,” said Freeman Martin of Texas’ Department of Public Safety.
But his mother-in-law was not inside the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs when Kelley sprayed the congregation with gunfire. Those killed ranged in age from 18 months to 77 years old.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott called the slaughter “the largest mass shooting” in the state’s history. But it’s still unclear exactly what motivated the killer.
“We know that his ex- in-laws or in-laws came to church here from time to time,” Wilson County Sheriff Joe Tackitt told CNN. “They were not here yesterday. So we don’t know why he actually showed up yesterday.”
cnn.com
