THE LATEST on the funeral for some victims of the Texas church shooting (all times local):
5:52 p.m.
Three thousand people mourned eight members of a family who were among the more than two dozen killed in a shooting at a small Texas church Wednesday before the funeral procession headed to a cemetery near the site of the massacre.
Surrounding the multicolored caskets, mourners released light pink and blue balloons at a graveside service for the Holcombe family in rural Wilson County.
Church member and survivor John Holcombe had invited the public to attend the funeral of his pregnant wife, Crystal, 36, and three of her children from a previous marriage, Greg Hill, 13, Emily Hill, 11, and Megan Hill, 9; his parents, 60-year-old Bryan and Karla Holcombe, 58; a brother, 36-year-old Marc Holcombe, and Marc’s 18-month-old daughter, Noah.
Fire marshals had to turn hundreds more people away from the services at an events center in Floresville, Texas, about 12 miles (19 kilometers) from the First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs, where the Nov. 5 shooting occurred.
News reporters were barred from entering the event center and were being held in a pen with two trucks obscuring the view inside.
In an earlier Facebook post, John Holcombe thanked friends and well-wishers for their support, adding: “Please continue to pray for us.”
The gunman, Devin Patrick Kelley, began firing into First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs as Bryan Holcombe, an assistant pastor, ascended to the pulpit. Walking up and down the center aisle, Kelley killed 25 people at the church, including crying babies at point-blank range, according to witness accounts. Authorities have put the official toll at 26, because Crystal Holcombe was pregnant.
John Holcombe was managing the church’s audio-visual operations at the back of the building when gunfire erupted. He and Crystal’s 7-year-old daughter Evelyn escaped the barrage. Crystal’s eldest child, 14-year-old Philip, had stayed home from church services that day.
After his rampage, Kelley fled in a vehicle parked near the church, pursued by a barefoot observer with an AR assault rifle and another man in a pick-up truck. The man with the rifle shot and struck Kelley but authorities say the gunman died of what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Investigators have said the attack appeared to stem from a domestic dispute Kelley was having with his mother-in-law, a member of the church who wasn’t present that day. However, among the victims was Lula White, the gunman’s wife’s 71-year-old grandmother.
Kelley had a history of domestic violence: He was given a bad conduct discharge from the Air Force after pleading guilty to assaulting his first wife and stepson.
Under federal law, anyone convicted of domestic violence cannot purchase a firearm. But the Air Force failed to inform federal law enforcement authorities that Kelley had been court-martialed. When he tried to buy guns after his release from a military prison, his conviction was not in the database used to conduct background checks, and the purchases went through.
In addition to those killed, another 20 people were injured in the shooting. Eight survivors remained hospitalized Wednesday at two San Antonio-area hospitals, their conditions ranging from good to critical.
_____
4:30 p.m.
A long line of hearses and limousines has traveled from the site of a public funeral for eight members of one family slain in a shooting at a small Texas church to a cemetery near where they were killed.
A funeral service Wednesday for pregnant 36-year-old Crystal Holcombe, three of her five children, her husband’s parents, a brother-in-law and toddler niece was held Wednesday in nearby Floresville, Texas.
The Holcombe family comprises nearly a third of the more than two dozen victims killed in the shooting Nov. 5. Authorities have put the official toll at 26, because Crystal Holcombe was pregnant. Her husband and 7-year-old daughter escaped from the church with minor injuries and her eldest child didn’t attend services that day.
A funeral service earlier Wednesday drew more than 3,000 people.
The gunman Devin Patrick Kelley died of what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
___
Funerals continue for the more than two dozen people killed in a mass shooting at the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs.
Family and friends gathered Wednesday to pay their final respects to eight members of the Holcombe family, who lost people from three generations in the Nov. 5 shooting, ranging in age from 1 to 60.
Bryan Holcombe, the guest pastor the day of the shooting, was killed along with his wife Karla, their son Marc, and infant daughter Noah. Their daughter-in-law Crystal Holcombe also died, along with her three children: Emily, age 11; Gregory, age 13; and 9-year old Megan. Crystal Holcombe, who was pregnant, and her unborn child are counted among the 26 killed that day.
The funeral of Tara McNulty, 33, was also Wednesday. Her two kids were with her in the church but survived.
____________
1:30 p.m.
A funeral service for eight members of one family who were among the more than two dozen killed in a shooting at a small Texas church has gotten under way with 3,000 mourners in attendance and hundreds more turned away.
Church member John Holcombe survived the massacre and invited the public to the service Wednesday for his pregnant wife and three of her children, his parents, a brother and a toddler niece. The funeral is taking place at an event center in Floresville, Texas, about 12 miles (19 kilometers) from the First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs, where the shooting occurred.
A string of limousines carrying victims’ families accompanied the black and white hearses to the event center. Fire marshals and sheriff’s deputies stood by as hundreds of others waited in line to enter the service, some in funeral attire and others in casual clothes.
News reporters are barred from entering and are being held in a pen with two trucks obscuring the view inside.
The dead will be buried privately on an unspecified date.
___
12:30 p.m.
Hundreds of mourners have lined up to enter a funeral service for eight members of a family who were among the more than two dozen killed in a shooting at a small Texas church.
At least seven hearses could be seen Wednesday outside an event center in Floresville, Texas, about 12 miles (19 kilometers) from the First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs, where the shooting occurred. News reporters are barred from entry and are being held in a pen with two trucks obscuring the view inside.
John Holcombe was among the shooting’s few survivors. The funeral is for his pregnant wife and three of her children, his parents, a brother and a toddler niece.
Holcombe managed audio-visual operations at the back of the church and escaped with minor injuries. His 7-year-old step-daughter Evelyn also fled.
___
Hundreds of mourners lined up to enter a funeral service Wednesday for eight members of a family who were among the more than two dozen killed in a shooting at a small Texas church.
At least seven hearses could be seen outside an event center in Floresville, Texas, about 12 miles (19 kilometers) from the First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs, where the Nov. 5 shooting occurred.
Church member John Holcombe, among the massacre’s few survivors, was holding the funeral for his pregnant wife and three of her children, his parents, a brother and a toddler niece. The dead will be buried privately on an unspecified date.
News reporters were barred from entering inside the event center and were being held in a pen with two trucks obscuring the view inside.
The gunman, Devin Patrick Kelley, began firing into the church as John Holcombe’s father, Bryan Holcombe, an assistant pastor, ascended to the pulpit. Walking up and down the center aisles, Kelley killed 25 people at the church. Authorities have put the official toll at 26, because John Holcombe’s wife, Crystal Holcombe, was pregnant.
Holcombe was managing the church’s audio-visual operations at the back of the building and escaped with minor injuries. His 7-year-old step-daughter Evelyn also escaped the barrage of gunfire.
Kelley died of what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound after he fled in a vehicle. Authorities say Kelley was involved in a domestic dispute with his mother-in-law, a member of the church who wasn’t present that day.
Eight survivors remained hospitalized Wednesday at two San Antonio-area hospitals, their condition ranging from good to critical.
Brooke Army Medical Center reported five adults, listed in good to critical condition. University Health System had two children and one adult still hospitalized, with their conditions ranging from fair to serious.
Further details on the hospitalized victims weren’t released.
___
01:00 a.m.
One of the survivors of a mass shooting at a small Texas church will hold a funeral Wednesday for his pregnant wife and three of her children, his parents, a brother and a toddler niece.
John Holcombe has arranged a public funeral for his family at an event center in Floresville, Texas, about 12 miles (19 kilometers) from the First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs, where the shooting occurred. A procession of hearses will travel from the funeral home to the center.
The dead will be buried privately on an unspecified date.
Devin Patrick Kelley shot and killed 25 people at the church Nov. 5. Authorities have put the official toll at 26, because Holcombe’s wife, Crystal Holcombe, was pregnant.
Kelley died of what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound.