CHILDREN AS YOUNG as 18 months old, eight members of one family and the grandmother-in-law of the shooter, are among the 26 victims killed in the First Baptist Church shooting.
On Sunday, a 26-year-old shooter opened fire on his local church, where dozens had gathered for an 11am service (5pm Irish time).
There are at least 26 people dead after the incident, and 20 others injured, most of them seriously. The Wilson County sheriff Joe Tackitt Jr said that half of the victims were children.
A vigil was held for the victims last night, where locals sang spiritual songs, embraced each other, and prayed.
The Holcombes
Eight members of one family were killed in Sunday’s shooting. Guest preacher Bryan Holcombe and his wife Karla were killed, as well as their son, Marc Daniel.
Their pregnant daughter-in-law Crystal also died – her husband John and their youngest child Evelyn are still in hospital but are expected to recover.
Crystal’s four children Noah, Emily, Megan and Greg also died in the shooting.
Bryan’s father, 86-year-old Joe, told the New York Times that he’s left behind to mourn the generations that he’s raised.
We know where they are now. All of our family members, they’re all Christian. And it won’t be long until we’re with them.
Annabelle Pomeroy
Annabelle Pomeroy, the 14-year-old daughter of the local pastor Frank Pomeroy, was among those killed in the shooting.
Both of Annabelle’s parents were out of town when the attack happened.
“Our church was not comprised of members or parishioners,” Sherri said. “We were a very close family. Now most of our church family is gone.”
Bob and Shani Corrigan
Robert Corrigan and his wife Shani, of Mid-Michegan were also among those killed. Robert was an Air Force retiree and the Clare County Director of Veterans’ Services Renee Haley confirmed that they had died yesterday, according to WNEM.com.
Shooter’s in-law
As authorities investigate the motives behind the attack, it was revealed that the shooter Devin Patrick Kelley had an argument with his mother-in-law hours before the shooting.
Kelley’s grandmother-in-law Lula Woicinski White was among those killed during the attack, friends of the woman told CNN. Lula’s friends said that she often volunteered at the church.
Eyewitness
Local Terrie Smith, who owns a restaurant in a gas station across the street from the First Baptist Church saw the events unfold in front of her while she stopped to fill up her car.
“He wouldn’t stop,” Smith told the news agency AFP through tears.
She described the image of the gunman’s body convulsions as he emptied his assault rifle into the church of worshippers.
And then, it stopped a little bit, and then you could hear the gunshots go, and that’s when he was inside the church shooting.
Smith’s close friend died along with two of her children in the shooting, and a third was “in bad shape” at the hospital.
- With reporting from AFP
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
have your say