According to MassShootingTracker.org, the incident at First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs marks the 377th mass shooting in the United States so far in 2017, and the largest mass shooting in the state of Texas.

How did the latest shooting happen?

At approximately, 11:20 a.m., Devin Patrick Kelley, 26, walked into the church with a Ruger AR-556 assault rifle, opening fire on parishioners. Continuing to fire as he made his way toward the front of the church and out the back door, the gunman killed an estimated 26 people and wounded another 20.

Victims of the attack, which lasted less than a minute, ranged from five to 72 years years old and included a pregnant woman and several children, including the church pastor’s 14-year-old daughter.

After the attack, Kelley drove away and was followed by Johnnie Langendorff, who heard the shots fired, and was informed by a neighbor what was happening. Langendorff followed the suspect for 11 miles before Kelley lost control of his vehicle at 95 mph and went off the road. Law enforcement officers were aided by Langendorff's directions and found Kelley dead in his vehicle, by what is suspected to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

While the assault rifle used in the attack can be traced to a purchase from a San Antonio sporting goods store in April 2016, multiple weapons were also found inside the vehicle.

What do we know about the shooter?

Kelley previously served in the U.S. Air Force from 2010 until he was court-martialed for assault on his spouse and their child in 2012, for which he received a reduction in rank, a bad conduct discharge, and a 12-month sentence in a military prison.

His wife filed for divorce the same year.

Like so many Mass Shootings, authorities have still not found a motive.

President Trump blamed the occurrence on mental health issues and stated that it was too soon to talk about it as a gun issue. Although members of the church were severely terrorized as their membership was cut in half, the incident was not immediately labeled as an act of terrorism, largely due to the shooter's nationality and skin color.

While the president tweeted that he was monitoring the scene from his five country tour of Asia, the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, and Texas state and local law enforcement agencies are working to find out more about how this happened.

During the 46-year span between 1966 and 2012, there were 90 mass shootings in the United States. There have been more than four times as many this year alone.
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