I've killed so many people - so, so many people,'" Danielle said. "Devin was sick. Find out more about how we use your information in our privacy policy and cookie policy. 2023 BuzzFeed, Inc. All rights reserved. I didnt notice anything particular about him, she said. But even in that dark context, the viciousness Kelley unleashed Sunday at First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs remains difficult to comprehend, much less accept, for those across South Texas and far beyond. Danielle Shields Kelley: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know, Copyright 2023 Heavy, Inc. All rights reserved. And I think for most people, they're going to be who they are and live their lives out based on the choices they make.". A man identified as Devin Patrick Kelley gunned down 26 people and injured at least 20 more in an attack at Sutherland Springs Baptist Church, before he was found dead in his car. Crosses with the names of victims are seen outside the First Baptist Church, the scene of a mass shooting that killed 26 people in Sutherland Springs, Texas. Danielle would comment on how Devin's new beard made him look old. Those records also indicate that the shooters family was from the same town. Everything about him from the way he spoke to people from his lack of respect. Jackson said he advised Kelley that his sister and another guest would be arriving soon. Kelley was a 26-year-old white man from New Braunfels, Texas. The worst mass shooting by an individual in Texas history with 26 dead and 20 wounded also has left many folks feeling afraid and vulnerable. Abcarian: Mask mandates? Out here, people tend to keep to themselves, said Tim Daughtrey, who cuts cedar for clients in the area, and lives in walking distance from Kelleys home. Another woman told the San Antonio Express-News that Kelley forced himself on her sexually after she befriended him in 2011, an account she shared with her parents and others but not with police. Several hours after the shooting, Courtney Kleiber, a close friend of Kelleys from middle school through high school, wrote on Facebook, I had always known there was something off about him. Stephen Willeford, left and Johnnie Langendorff, who both chased after gunman Devin Kelley, meet again during a vigil in Sutherland Springs on Monday. His short temper got shorter. Danielle saw her mother less and less. She was previously a reporting intern covering Texas politics and government from the Chronicle's Austin Bureau. They have a child. Danielle Shields-Kelley is shown here in a Facebook photo. "I was like 'Oh man, this guy's cute. He was kind of off, lived here with a woman, she said as she loaded blankets into one of the RV parks washing machines. They were close friends for years before they dated. To be completely honest, Im really not surprised this happened, and I dont think anyone who knew him is very surprised either.. Danielle said she's not sure why Devin chose her church. Most hid under the pews. She said he confided in her about the problems in his marriage to Tessa Brennaman, his first wife. She was 13. A woman living in a camper next door, who gave her name only as Susan, said a man of similar age and description lived in spot 60 for a few months during that time, but she never learned his name. Texas Gov. He was a family person. Although his Facebook page has since been taken down, those who saw it said Kelley had posted often about atheism and shared images of guns. Police say a friend alerted authorities that Danielle had texted to say she was being abused by her boyfriend and that subsequent texts back to her later went unanswered. The three huddled around the phone. Zeke has primarily covered the Texas Hill Country since joining the San Antonio Express-News in 1996. But she has come to feel that she can't continue on the long road to recovery without the thought of God holding her hand. We, AOL, are part of the Yahoo family of brands. Among the dead was Lula White, Danielle's grandmother. Devin and Danielle married in April 2014, when he was 23 and she was 19. "It was frustrating. He married Danielle Lee Shields, who . It was like bop, bop, bop, at random times of the day, said Gerald Killough, 52, who lives just around the corner. She wavers between defending him and acknowledging that there were "red flags" for years. A bouquet of flowers lies at the base of a roadblock as law enforcement officials work Monday at the scene of the shooting in Sutherland Springs, Texas. A LinkedIn account in his name says he worked in cargo and distribution before his court-martial. Following the deadliest mass shooting in Texas history, Danielle Shields was identified as the wife of alleged gunman Devin Kelley. A couple managed to race out of exits. Shed heard reports of friction with his mother-in-law, but nothing seemed amiss, said Marx, who brought chickens, goats and other animals from her farm to the Oct. 31 event. Investigators examine bullet holes in the front door of the First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs, Texas, on Tuesday. In seven minutes, he killed 26 people and wounded 20 others. He just abandoned his post with everybody (customers) still here.. In 2012, Devin admitted to cracking his infant stepsons skull during a previous marriage. Or little factors that say 'You're not the same person,'" she said. He'd wink at her flirtatiously. (Provided photo), Danielle Kelley waits to let her dog, Cha be-be, back in with her daughter, Raeleigh, 1, at her home in Cibolo on July 10, 2018. By clicking Accept all you agree that Yahoo and our partners will process your personal information, and use technologies such as cookies, to display personalised ads and content, for ad and content measurement, audience insights, and product development. It just means that you need a little extra love in life. Danielle Lee Shields is the former spouse of Devin Kelley. Thats the only negative thing I could say that he did while he was here. She stated she witnessed four to five punches and then the male suspect grabbed the dog by the neck and drug him away.. Would love your thoughts, please comment. He seemed like he was agitated that I was there, agitated that I was asking him to do anything, said Jackson, whod asked Kelley to turn on a water slide. relationships, uphold the highest values and be honest, trustworthy and courteous to all persons at all levels of the First responders work at the rear of the First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs after a gunman attacked. The only thing that sticks out about him was his dog, she said. On Sunday night, authorities only identified the suspect as a young white male. His first marriage ended in divorce. The suspects mother-in-law had attended this church. He was rude and uncouth and had a very short fusehe came from a great family but I guess that didnt matter. But he wasnt always a psychopath though, a longtime friend, Courtney Kleiber, posted on Facebook on Sunday. The suspect in the shooting at a Texas church on Sunday was identified as Devin Patrick Kelley. After killing at least 26 people in the church, Kelley was found dead in his car. He wrote on his Facebook page that he "did not fear death". Click here to read more about Danielle. He got upset easily, she said. I didn't want to be a single mom. He assaulted his stepson severely enough that he fractured his skull, and he also assaulted his wife, said Don Christensen, a retired colonel who was the chief prosecutor for the Air Force. The Texas Department of Public Director Freeman Martin told ABC News that Kelley was wearing all black, including a ballistics vest, at the time of the shooting. "Nobody truly knows somebody," she said. In February 2014, sheriffs deputies were called to Kelleys parents house in Comal County, Texas, to investigate a potential domestic violence case after Danielle complained to a friend of abuse. "We had no secrets," Danielle said. Danielle was Facebook friends with members of the pastors family and the Holcombes. A Facebook post on October 29 shows an assault rifle with the caption: "She's a bad b**ch.". He was 17. Devin's Ford Expedition veered off into a ditch. COVID origins? when he entered. "If I could take everything, all the pain, and hold it on my own I would, so nobody else would hurt. Staggering snowfall in California mountains leaves residents trapped for days, Garland testifies before Senate panel amid ongoing special counsel probes, Colon cancer rates rising in younger age group, study finds, Firefighter dies battling blaze in downtown Buffalo, mayor says, Explosive found in checked luggage at Pennsylvania airport, feds say, 20,000 people may have been exposed to measles at Asbury University revival, Prosecution wraps its case at Alex Murdaugh murder trial, Top McCarthy aide, House Oversight chair each met with Ashli Babbitt's mother, Ex-Georgia star Jalen Carter was racing in deadly crash, arrest warrants allege, Ex-wife speaks out on Texas church gunman's violence, Flying bug found at Walmart turns out to be rare Jurassic-era insect, Pence won't commit to supporting Trump if he's the nominee. He was terminated in July after five weeks at Schlitterbahn for reasons that park officials did not disclose. "I don't know if she's finally coming around to it, admitting to it, or if she's just saying it because she thinks that's what I want to hear her say," Michelle said. This was not racially motivated, said Texas Department of Public Safety regional director Freeman Martin. (Lisa Krantz | San Antonio Express-News). Michael Kelley told Comal County deputies responding to a 2013 burglary report there that a laptop and hard drive valued at $600 were missing from Devin Kelleys quarters. He was sentenced to 12 months confinement and received a bad conduct discharge in 2014, Reuters reported, citing chief of Air Force media operations Ann Stefanek. At first, the worshipers inside thought they were hearing fireworks. Theres also an 1,800-square-foot metal building and a 6,480-square-foot shed.. She hopes his hold on her will weaken with the passage of time. Devin Kelley raised a gun to his head and pulled the trigger. It has not been confirmed if the two were separated or having marital problems, however, a source told Heavy that the womans family didnt approve of Kelley. Devin Patrick Kelley (pictured left, and in a mugshot from a previous crime) walked into the First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs, dressed in full combat gear, and began shooting Sunday. "There were times when I didn't want to have to be here. Law enforcement officials hold news conference on Texas church shooting, ABC Radio coverage of the update on the deadly Texas shooting. Those who survived the shooting are still grappling with the aftermath. She was a distraught preteen, with a thick stripe of bleached blonde hair and marks on her wrists and legs from cutting herself. Police records on the burglary showed that there were no signs of forced entry and that Michael Kelley later asked that the case be closed. He was with her for every errand and outing, and even drove her to and from her job as a cashier at H-E-B. The gunman who killed at least 26 people in a small Texas church Sunday has been identified as 26-year-old Devin Kelley, CBS News and the New York Times reported. Fellow students recall Kelley as an introvert who kept mostly to himself and had an ever-changing array of friends. He left the guard shack with all the keys to the cabins and the condos, and everything else, and just left. The atrocity is the largest mass shooting in Texas history. Landry also said he stalked her after they broke up, repeatedly calling and even prank calling her, saying really weird stuff. Kelleys uncle weighed in on Facebook after the shooting, stating that he never in a million years could of believed Devin could be capable of this kind of thing., I am numb, Dave Ivey wrote. He became an atheist. She cried for the loss of her husband and her children's father. Others say they sensed trouble from the get-go in Kelley, 26, who had a history of behavioral problems dating to at least middle school. He was, she said, happy at one point, normal, your average kid. She asked if her husband had survived. Vice President Mike Pence and his wife, Karen, talk with Johnnie Langendorff and his girlfriend, Summer Caddell, third from right, as they visit with first responders, family, friends and victims outside the First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs. 2018 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. On her phone, she still has photos of him and the children. No action was taken by deputies, whose report referred to the situation as a teenage drama.. Covering for Pastor Frank Pomeroy wasBryan Holcombe, his wife Karla also a close friend of both Michelle and Sherri, was killed by Kelley along her husband, their son Marc Daniel Holcombe, 36, one-year-old granddaughter Noah Holcombe, and their pregnant daughter-in-lawCrystal; three of Crystals five children, alsodied in the shooting as well. Smoke filled the air. Debbie Marx, a church member, also saw Kelley at the festival with his wife and a child. He was really different, and off, Danielle, 23, said. "I did pick him over her," Danielle said. The more she tried to save her, Michelle said, the further Danielle withdrew. Danielle told only one other person about the sexual abuse: her best friend, Devin Kelley. Michelle had lost three children through complications of pregnancy, and had one adoption fall through. Furthermore, Michelle Shields formerly knownas Michelle Brassfield was, as a matter of fact, born Michelle Lorene White on September 5, 1963; studied atJames Madison High School in San Antonio. (Lisa Krantz | San Antonio Express-News). Read. receives. Recommended articles. Before joining the Summits staff in September, Kelley worked as an unarmed security guard at Schlitterbahn in New Braunfels. They did not respond to interview requests, but ABC News quoted Michael Kelley as saying, We are grieving. CBS News reports Kelley. If it was only me that could've died and everybody else could've been alive, I would've gladly taken that," Danielle said. Kelley, whose father, Michael Kelley, is a computer programmer and accountant, enlisted in the Air Force soon after graduating from New Braunfels High School in 2009. A source described the gunman to Heavy as an angry and antisocial person who was not accepted by his wifes family. An older Facebook page for Danielle reveals that she resided in Sutherland Springs. He also accumulated more than a dozen magazines, each with a capacity of 30 bullets. competition. A security team of congregants is equipped with guns and earpieces during services at the new, temporary church. Its believed that the couple have two children; a family friend said he took them to the churchs fall festival Oct. 31. She reported receiving no complaints about him during his nearly six weeks on the 4 p.m.-to-midnight shift at the River Road resort not far from the Kelley family home. The congregants were singing "Are You Washed in Blood?" Devin Kelley and Danielle Lee Shields were married April 4, 2014, in Comal County. On the morning of Sunday, Nov. 5, Devin Kelley asked his wife Danielle to make him a light breakfast, an unusual request considering he normally ate a heaping plate of tacos. Well figure it out, said Jackson, an assignment editor at WDIV Local 4, a TV station. Records also show he married Danielle Lee Shields, who also goes by the name Danielle Brassfield. We kind of exchanged words, then I said, The heck with it. He made death threats against his commanding officers and was sent to a mental health facility. Willeford said if coming to church brings her peace, she should continue to come. She was 21 when she marriedher first husband, Donald Curtis Brassfield, on April 11, 1986; believed to be Danielles father. He was a family person. First published on August 13, 2018 / 9:15 AM. Her adoptive mother, Michelle Shields, has said her son-in-law was controlling and abusive to her daughter, who often accepted the abuse. Their troubled relationship ended in New Mexico with divorce in October 2012 after he was charged with assault for attacking her and fracturing his stepsons skull and sentenced to 12 months in a military prison. They had no friends. Both came from unstable backgrounds. He grew more depressed. After they married in 2014, Devin Kelley accompanied her everywhere. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. And he said to Michael: "I'll be right back.". Some said they had blocked him on Facebook after receiving inappropriate notes or tiring of antagonistic posts. According her Facebook and LinkedIn accounts, Danielle Kelley (nee. Before a 26-year-old gunman entered a rural Texas church with a ballistic vest and a military-style rifle, killing at least 26 people Sunday, he was convicted of assaulting his wife and breaking his infant stepsons skull. (Lisa Krantz | San Antonio Express-News), San Antonio Express-News immigration reporter Silvia Foster-Frau details her thoughts on interviewing the wife of Sutherland Springs shooter Devin Patrick Kelley, accompanied by audio excerpts of their conversations, on, Danielle Kelley plays with their children, Michael, 3, and Raeleigh, 1, at her home in Cibolo on July 10, 2018. Sometimes Danielle would tell Michelle about the mental and physical abuse he inflicted, Michelle said. Suicide was not far from Danielle's mind the first few months after the massacre. The person, who did not want to be identified, stated: [Danielles] family didnt approve of him because of his lack of respect for everyone he encounteredhe was awful to be around. Until, that is, Kelley vanished around 8:30 p.m. Saturday, less than 15 hours before donning tactical gear and attacking the church located about 35 miles south, where some in the family of his second wife worshipped. People move out here for their privacy, he said. He would yell and swear and she'd block him on her phone. Such rifles have been legal to manufacture and sell to civilians in most of the United States since the federal assault weapons ban expired in 2004, and have become popular among many firearms owners. "You can live with that person and love that person for years, and you still cannot truly know that person because you can"t know their inner thoughts and feelings.". CBS News has learned Kelley has a wife named Danielle Lee Shields. They married April 4, 2014, when she was 19 and he was 23. Devin is the perpetrator of the Sutherland Springs church shooting which left at least 26 people dead and 20 others injured in what Texas Gov. #ada-button-frame { Danielles past, as well as social media accounts, show a loving person who adored her children. I dont want our lives, our grandchildrens lives, destroyed by this media circus, added Kelley, whose property off FM 2722 was staked out by 20 vehicles from various media the morning after the shooting. Growing up, Danielle babysat Megan, Emily and Greg Hill. Michelle Shields, Danielle's mother, said in an interview earlier this year that Devin was . Here is what we know about the suspected attacker. Now, going back and looking at it, the things he said then it was all messed up. While other friends shared their dreams with one other, Devin and Danielle shared their hardships. Michelle Shields, Danielle's mother, said in an interview earlier this year that Devin was a controlling, abusive husband and Danielle was a wife who often accepted it. "He was like 'I can't, I've killed so many people. Neighbors along FM 2722 reported this week that the sound of gunshots was common in recent weeks, coming from the direction of the Kelley property, sometimes for hours. She could not be reached for comment. The sheriff revealed on November 6 that Danielles parents, despite their ties to the church, were not there when the shooting unfolded. Danielle Lee Shields is the former spouse of Devin Kelley. They were shaken Tuesday when photos circulated of Kelley barefaced, as they had seen him, which confirmed their suspicions, said Jackson, who shared their groups texts. Metal building and a 6,480-square-foot shed.. she hopes his hold on her wrists and legs cutting... The congregants were singing `` are You Washed in Blood? pregnancy, and just.! 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