The Goodness of America
Stopping Texas Terror
Though this column is intended to focus on the goodness of America, it becomes increasingly harder to ignore the utter evil that exists in the world when horrific acts of violence such as the mass shooting at the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas, take place. Good and innocent people are continually subjected to unspeakable acts at the hands of evil, and it can be enough to make even the most optimistic person lose faith in humanity. Fortunately, there are always heroes and good Samaritans who emerge to offer a little hope when the world appears a bleak place. In Sutherland Springs, Texas, two men did just that.
One man, identified as 55-year-old Stephen Willeford, is credited with confronting the shooter, Devin Patrick Kelley, as he left the church and approached his car. Though it is not confirmed, it is believed that Kelley may have been planning to continue his shooting spree elsewhere, since his vehicle was equipped with multiple weapons.
Willeford reportedly was told the Texas church massacre was unfolding and quickly grabbed his rifle, intending to stop the shooting. The U.K.’s Daily Mail reported that Willeford confronted the shooter outside of the church and reportedly opened fire, shooting him in a crease in his body armor. Kelley escaped in his vehicle, but Willeford flagged down a passerby, another local identified as Johnnie Langendorff, and chased Kelley down in a truck.
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