Ololade Adeyanju/
Sunday’s stand-in preacher, his wife, their eight-months-pregnant daughter-in-law and three of her five children are among the 26 victims shot dead in the Texas church massacre.
Other victims included a mother-of-four and her two young daughters and a 14-year-old daughter of the church’s pastor.
Devin Patrick Kelley, 26, opened fire on parishioners during Mass at the First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs, killing dozens and injuring at least 20.
The first victim to be identified was Annabelle Pomeroy, whose father – First Baptist Church Pastor Frank Pomeroy – had been out of town during the attack.
Bryan Holcombe had been standing in for Pomeroy when Kelley opened fire. Witnesses say he was the first victim to be struck by the shooter’s gunfire.
“Bryan was filling in,” the witness, who did not want to be named, told DailyMail.com. “He was walking up to the pulpit when he was shot in the back.”
He was killed, alongside his wife of 25 years, Sunday school teacher Karla Holcombe, as well as their eight-months-pregnant pregnant daughter-in-law Crystal, a mom-of-five, local residents reported. Three of Crystal’s five children – Emily, Megan and Greg were also killed.
Their son Marc Daniel Holcombe and his infant daughter Noah were also named among those mindlessly gunned down.
Mother-of-four Joann Ward and three of her children were also shot. Family have since told the Dallas News that Joann and two of her daughters, six-year-old Brooke and eight-year-old Emily have died.
Ward’s six-year-old stepson Ryland, who was shot four times, is still in hospital after undergoing emergency surgery. The mom’s eldest daughter Rihanna, nine, had the glasses shot off her face but escaped injury by hiding under a pew as shots rang out.
The victims ranged in age from five to 72, with two killed outside the church, 23 killed inside, and one person who died in the hospital, officials said.
Kelley also died after he was confronted and pursued by an armed hero citizen.
And 34-year-old Amanda Mosel told MySA that her 13-year-old goddaughter was killed during the shooting. She said she was sad she skipped church this morning, but she normally attends that sermon. “It’s a small, tight-knit church,” she said.
Many of the dead remained inside the small rural church Sunday evening, as crime scene investigators worked to reconstruct the scene.
Authorities declined to officially name any of the deceased victims on Sunday evening, as they worked to secure the crime scene and notify victims’ families.
Residents of the community gathered for an emotional candlelight vigil on Sunday night as the names of the victims began to emerge.
Wilson County Commissioner Albert Gamez Jr Told CNN that the death toll is expected to climb.
“My heart is broken,” Gamez said. “We never think where it can happen, and it does happen. It doesn’t matter where you’re at. In a small community, real quiet and everything, and look at this, what can happen.”
Meanwhile, it has emerged the shooter had family connections to the church where the shooting occurred.
At an press conference today, police revealed that Kelley had “expressed anger towards his mother-in-law” Michelle Shields, who attended the church, and sent her “threatening texts”.
Michelle was not present for worship on Sunday when the massacre unfolded, but spoke to investigators after. It was previously reported that Kelley’s wife Danielle was a former teacher at the school, and that her mother was a parishioner who is friends with the pastor’s wife.
Freeman Martin of the Texas Rangers wouldn’t go into detail about the “domestic situation” between Kelley and his mother-in-law but said what they know so far suggests the attack was not “racially” or religiously motivated.
An agent from the FBI said they are not investigating the shooting as an act of terror.
Earlier in the day, Wilson County Sheriff Joe Tackett told reporters that Kelley and his wife were estranged, but wouldn’t explain why.
Marriage records show the couple tied the knot in Comal County, Texas on April 4, 2014, when Kelley was 23 and his bride was 19. As of Monday, Danielle’s Facebook profile still listed her relationship status as “married” and photos on the account show pictures of two young kids – a baby girl and an older boy.
Neighbor Mark Moravitz told ABC News that Kelley lived at his parents’ home in New Braunfels with his wife and that he would sometimes hear gunshots coming from near the residence at night.