Texas church shooting: Man who killed shooter identified as pro-gun activist and political hopeful
WHITE SETTLEMENT, TEXAS: The man who killed the Texas church shooter has been identified as a local political hopeful named Jack Wilson. The shooter, who was identified as Keith Thomas Kinnunen, ended up killing two people on December 29 at the West Freeway Church of Christ, White Settlement near Forth Worth, Texas. One of the victims was identified as Anton Wallace, 64.
According to news reports, the shooter was a 43-year-old drifter who had a criminal record for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and theft. He was arrested in 2016 for a firearm possession charge in New Jersey.
Wilson in a post on Facebook said the incident put him in "position that I would hope no one would have to be in", and added, "I am very sad in the loss of two dear friends and brothers in CHRIST, but evil does exist in this world and I and other members are not going to allow evil to succeed. Please pray for all the members and their families in this time. Thank you for your prayers and understanding."
Wilson is contesting to be Hood County commissioner and is a pro-gun activist. The post appears to be unavailable now.
According to NBC DFW, Wilson initially did not have a clear shot at the shooter. "The only clear shot I had was his head because I still had people in the pews that were not all the way down… that was my one shot. When I teach people, I teach them not to shoot the head unless that's all you have," Wilson said, explaining that it's easier to hit a person in their body because it's a larger target than the head. "If that's the only shot you've got, then that's the shot you take."
Wilson owned On Target Firearms Training Academy, Inc, but it burned down in 2016.
Wilson was one of the volunteer security guards at the church and was seen on video pulling out his gun and shooting Kinnunen. The church was live streaming its Sunday services while the gunfire took place. The motive is yet to be confirmed by the FBI.