Devin Kelley, the gunman who killed at least 26 people in a Baptist church in a rural Texas town on Sunday died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, Wilson County Sheriff Joe Tackitt told CBS News Monday morning.
Tackitt said gunfire was exchanged between the gunman and two armed citizens during a vehicle chase after the shootings.
"There was some gunfire exchanged, I believe, on the roadway also, and then (the shooter's vehicle) wrecked out," said Tackitt. "At this time, we believe that he had a self-inflicted gunshot wound, after he wrecked out."
Kelley was discharged from the Air Force for allegedly assaulting his spouse and child, according to an Air Force spokeswoman.
The spokeswoman, Ann Stefanek, said Sunday that Kelley served 12 months' confinement after a 2012 court-martial. He ultimately received a bad conduct discharge and reduction in rank.
Gov. Greg Abbott said Monday on the "Today" show that Kelley was denied a right-to-carry permit.
"It was after that that he was able to buy this gun and what we do know is that under a federal law someone who is dishonorably discharged, as this person was, is not authorized to be able to buy a gun, and so there's ongoing information that needs to be gathered," Abbott said.
Federal laws deny gun ownership only to someone who has been dishonorably discharged, not to someone who reseived a bad conduct discharge.
Kelley served in Logistics Readiness at Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico from 2010 until his discharge in 2014, the spokeswoman said. In his job role, he was responsible for moving passengers, cargo and personal property in military transportation.
Authorities said Kelley lived in a San Antonio suburb and that he doesn't appear to be linked to organized terrorist groups. The official said investigators are looking at social media posts Kelley may have made in the days before Sunday's attack, including one that appeared to show an AR-15 style semi-automatic weapon. The official requested anonymity because the person did not have authorization to speak publicly.
An address listed in online records as belonging to Kelley is located in New Braunfels, Texas, just outside San Antonio and about 35 miles from Sutherland Springs.
Dave Ivey, Kelley's uncle, said in a Facebook message that he "never in a million years could of believed Devin could be capable of this kind of thing."
"I am numb," Ivey said. "My family will suffer because of his coward actions. ... I am so sorry for the victims in Texas."
Records of an August traffic ticket issued in New Braunfels, Texas, for an expired registration and not having auto insurance give a birthdate that would make him 26-years-old.
At the address listed for Kelley in New Braunfels, two sheriff's vans were parked outside and police officers stood at the gate of a cattle fence surrounding the property. Law enforcement officials gathered at the property declined to comment on why they were there. Several messages left for his relatives went unreturned.
Neighbors said they heard intense gunfire coming from the direction of the address listed for Kelley in recent days.
"It's really loud. At first, I thought someone was blasting," said Ryan Albers, 16, who lives across the street. "It had to be coming from somewhere pretty close. It was definitely not just a shotgun or someone hunting. It was someone using automatic weapon fire."
A person matching Kelley's name and date of birth also registered in 2014 to vote in Colorado, with an address listed in Colorado Springs, home of the U.S. Air Force Academy. The Colorado Secretary of State's office lists his registration now as inactive.
According to Texas Department of Public Safety regional director Freeman Martin, the gunman arrived at a Valero gas station near the First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs at around 11:20 a.m. Sunday. He was dressed in black, wearing tactical gear and a ballistic vest.
He crossed the street to the church, left his vehicle and started firing a Ruger AR assault-type rifle at the church. Then he entered the church and fired.
As he left the church, the shooter met an unidentified area resident with his own rifle who pursued him. The suspect was found dead in his vehicle near the border between Wilson and Guadalupe counties.
Reuters contributed to this report.
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