A gunman who was fatally shot by parishioners after opening fire at a Texas church service had been given food by the church many times and was being closely watched before his rampage began, church leaders say.
Keith Thomas Kinnunen, 43, slipped into the Sunday service at the West Freeway Church of Christ in White Settlement wearing a long black wig, a fake beard and a bulky jacket.
“We’ve helped him on several occasions with food,” Pastor Britt Farmer told The Christian Chronicle. “He gets mad when we won’t give him cash. He’s been here on multiple occasions.”
During Communion, Kinnunen pulled out a modified, 12-gauge shotgun with a pistol grip and started shooting. Killed were Deacon Anton “Tony” Wallace, 64, who was holding a silver Communion tray, and Richard White, 67, who yelled “Drop it!” as he reached for his own pistol.
Parishioner Jack Wilson, a firearms instructor who heads the church's security team, then killed Kinnunen with one shot.
Church elder John Robertson, who mans the church’s video room, told the Chronicle that Kinnunen was being watched from the moment he entered the church.
"This was (a case of) ‘maybe it’s nothing, but maybe it’s worth looking into,’” Robertson said. “We had put him on isolation on one of the cameras back here so we could see that he was behaving."
When Kinnunen got up for Communion, "We said, 'We need to make an intervention,’” Robertson said. But it was too late – Kinnunen brandished his weapon and opened fire. Farmer said he never recognized Kinnunen until he was killed.
Kinnunen's ex-wife told nbcdfw.com that Kunninen had a bad drug habit and lost touch with reality. They divorced in 2010 after eight years of marriage, she said.
"We knew he was crazy but not like this," Angela Holloway said. "I don't wish this on anybody. I feel sorry for the victims. I really do."
Farmer, who said the motive for the attack remained unclear, said White was his best friend.
“Preachers don’t get friends like that very often,” Farmer said. “He never held me to a higher standard.”
A candlelight vigil was held at the church Monday night. Farmer led a service at the church fellowship hall next to the closed auditorium where the shooting took place. The service drew a packed house of worshipers praying, singing and grieving together.
"There is evil in this world, and evil took two of my dear friends,” Farmer told the crowd. “Not a bullet from a gun – evil. Not ideology – evil.”
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton praised the state's gun laws as helping minimize the death toll. Those laws allow weapons in places of worship unless the facility bans them. Paxton said the church’s security team was formally organized once the measure was enacted.
Church security became a major issue in the state after a gunman walked into a church in Sutherland Springs two years ago and fatally shot 26 people and wounded 20 others.
Paxton, speaking outside the church Monday, said authorities can't prevent mental illness.
"And we can’t prevent every crazy person from pulling a gun," he said. "But we can be prepared like this church was.”
Contributing: The Associated Press
2019-12-31 15:48:53Z
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