A man who opened fire at a Texas church was fatally shot by two parishioners who were serving as security, authorities say.
The shooting took place at the West Freeway Church of Christ in White Settlement Sunday morning.
At a press conference that evening Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said the shooting was over in six seconds.
“Two of the parishioners who were volunteers from the security force drew their weapons and took out the killer immediately, saving (an) untold number of lives,” he said.
Two churchgoers were killed by the gunman.
“We lost two great men today,” said Church of Christ minister Britt Farmer. “But it could have been a lot worse.”
The motive for the shooting remains under investigation.
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An FBI spokesperson said investigators are working diligently to determine whether it was ideologically motivated.
The shooter was known to police but wasn’t on any watchlists, he said. He was described as “relatively transient” but with ties to the area.
White Settlement is located just outside Fort Worth in north Texas.
Authorities have not released the name of the shooter or the deceased.
While a Fort Worth Fire Department spokesperson previously said first responders were called to the scene just before 10 a.m., White Settlement Police Chief J.P. Bevering later clarified that the call came at 10:50 a.m.
U.S. media outlets are reporting that the gunman opened fire while the congregation was livestreaming a video of the service.
The Associated Press reports that the video shows the gunman getting up from a pew and talking to someone at the back of the church before pulling out a gun and opening fire.
Parishioners can then be heard screaming and seen ducking under pews or running as papers fly to the floor.
–With files from the Associated Press
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