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Families+of+the+victims.+

Families of the victims.

Bertha Villagomez

November 5, 2009 America’s deadliest shooting on a military base in Fort Hood, Texas endured. Eight years later on November 6, 2017, 150 miles away at Sutherland Springs, Texas a similar tragedy occurred.

A gunman opened fire at the First Baptist Church, with evil intentions. Devin Patrick Kelley, 26 years old, left 20+ injured and 26 deceased. Based on Kelley’s past background he was a very violent person yet no records were found under his name when the US Air Force and the Department of Defense was reviewing the case. Even though this was shocking to the audience, Kelley had a brutal past.

Kelley was court-martialed and sentenced to military prison in 2012 for assaulting his then wife and her child. He was not convicted with domestic assault. After completing his sentence he was reduced in rank and released from the military with a bad-conduct discharge in 2014.  That same year in the month of August, Kelley was as well charged with animal cruelty for abusing of a husky in public.

This gunman had a troubled past, yet no one suspected he could commit such a crime. His long list of offenses he had were unacknowledged until now. During this shooting, Kelley was then shot 3 times from a man across the street. He was later pronounced dead in his car. A 26-year-old man took away 26 lives for no reason. 20 victims were injured physically and mentally.  You can’t change the past but only accept it, change, and live on.