Wilson County Sheriff Reveals How Many Victims of Church Shooting Were Children

Less than 24 hours after a gunman opened fire on a South Texas church, killing 26 and injuring [...]

By Libby Birk

Less than 24 hours after a gunman opened fire on a South Texas church, killing 26 and injuring several others, more information about the victims has come to light.

The Wilson County Sheriff, Joe Tackett said on Monday morning that of the 26 dead, "12 to 14" of the victims were children, ABC correspondent Matt Gutman reports.

Gutman also wrote that at least two of those shot were 5 years old.

Devin Patrick Kelley is the 26-year-old man suspected of opening fire on First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas on Sunday morning. Authorities say he entered the church and killed 26 people with a semi automatic rifle, injuring several more.

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Among the victims killed was the church's pastor's 14-year-old daughter, Annabelle Renee Pomeroy.

Pastor Frank Pomeroy, who was out of town on Sunday, described his daughter as "one very beautiful, special child" in an interview with ABC News.

Officials are reporting that those killed by the gunman range in age from 5 years old to 72.

"We know the ages range from 5 years old to 72 years of age," Freeman Martin, a regional director with the Texas Department of Public Safety, said during the press conference, reports NBC News.

U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar of Texas told The New York Times that one of the victims is a pregnant mother. Nick Uhlig told Fox News his cousin was expecting her fourth child.

CBS News' David Begnaud reports that four children from one family were shot. A 5-year-old boy was shot four times and was in surgery. A 7-year-old girl who was also shot, named Emily, died in surgery. One member of the family, 5-year-old Brooke, was unaccounted for.

The suspected gunman was chased for ten miles by Johnnie Langendorff, a man who witnessed Kelley exchanging gunfire with a church neighbor after opening fire inside the church. Langendorff said Kelley lost control of his vehicle and crashed. Police say Kelley was dead when they found him in his car, but it is unclear if he died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound or that of police or of Langendorff's passenger, who had opened fire on Kelley.

Photo Credit: Getty / Scott Olson

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