It was supposed to be just another church service filled with singing, preaching, and praising the Lord. The First Baptist Church was supposed to be a safe place. Without hesitation, an armed gunman dressed in all black barged in and turned that November day into the massacre that left 26 people dead and twenty others injured in the small town of Sutherland Springs, Texas. One of those killed with the preacher’s daughter.

News report indicate that 26-year-old shooter, Devin Patrick Kelley, may have picked that church because his former in-laws attended services there. In 2012, Kelley was court martialed by the Air Force for assaulting his wife and child. Because the military officer had not entered the case into a national database, Kelley was able to buy the assault weapons used in the massacre. Police found Kelley dead in his truck after he shot himself.

Opinion by Alina:
Although this is a remorseful situation, I cannot for the life of me understand how Kelley could get away with bringing weapons into a church, especially since he’d been convicted of multiple crimes similar to the shooting. Why did no one suspect something from his odd behavior? Don’t get me wrong — I definitely don’t blame anyone else for what Kelley did, and it truly is a sad event. Kelley was mentally disturbed, and knowing that he had been wanting to do what he did for a while is disgusting.

Opinion by Ivania:
It’s devastating what happened, since there were innocent people who weren’t prepared for such an event. From what I’ve read, the people inside the church had their backs turned right before the man fired. To be honest, I wish this didn’t happen so much in the world now. If you think about how many bombings and shootings have gone on just this year, our world no longer seems somewhere peaceful, you know?