Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Independent UK
The Independent UK
World
Lucy Pasha-Robinson

Texas shooting: Hero plumber who chased gunman says he 'needed to be stopped'

The man who led the high speed pursuit of the Texas gunman moments after he had killed 26 churchgoers, said "he needed to be stopped".

Johnnie Langendorff  said he was driving in front of the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs  when another man  Stephen Willeford  began trading rifle fire with the assailant. 

Mr Willeford "jumped in my truck and said: 'He just shot up the church, we got to get him'," Mr Langendorff said. "I said: 'OK, let's go.'"

With Mr Willeford behind the wheel, Mr Langendorff said they "we blew through this intersection and he started going about 90-95 (miles per hour) keeping up with this guy."

Asked about what drove him to act so quickly, he added: "That's it. I mean that's the bottom line, he needed to be stopped. He was stopped and he's not going to hurt anyone else ever again."

At the time, neither man knew they were chasing 26-year-old Devin Kelley, an Air Force veteran who police say put on tactical gear, a ballistic vest and skull-like mask to carry out the most deadly mass shooting in the modern history of Texas.

The pursuit lasted about 10-12 minutes, according to Mr Langendorff. Then Kelley lost control and crashed into a ditch. They stopped too and Mr Willeford trained his rifle on the disabled vehicle, but the gunman never emerged.

Mr Willeford shot Kelley where there was a gap in his vest, his cousin Ken Leonard told CNN.

"Stephen is the best shot that I know," he said. "He, without armour and barefooted ran into the fire and put his own life at risk, took return fire and fired accurately three times." 

He added: "That's an amazing accomplishment, especially for a man who has, who was never in the military."

Additional reporting by Reuters

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.