Sutherland Springs, Texas
Unincorporated community in Texas, United States
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sutherland Springs is an unincorporated community located on the old Spanish land grant of Manuel Tarin in northern Wilson County, Texas, United States. It is located on U.S. Highway 87 at the intersection of Farm to Market Road 539.
Sutherland Springs, Texas | |
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 Interactive map of Sutherland Springs, Texas | |
| Coordinates: 29°16′24″N 98°03′24″W[1] | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Texas |
| County | Wilson |
| Established | 1854 |
| Founder | John Sutherland |
| Elevation | 466 ft (142 m) |
| Population (2017) | |
• Total | 600 |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (CST) |
| ZIP code | 78161 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1369438[1] |
| Website | Handbook of Texas |
On November 5, 2017, Sutherland Springs was the scene of the deadliest shooting in a place of worship in the United States, in which 26 people were killed and 22 others injured in a local church before the shooter committed suicide.
History
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2017 shooting
On November 5, 2017, Devin Patrick Kelley shot 26 people dead and injured 22 at the community's First Baptist Church. The gunfire was heard by Stephen Willeford, a church neighbor and former NRA instructor, who grabbed his weapon and ran toward the scene barefoot.[4][5] Willeford seriously wounded Kelley in a rapid exchange of gunfire, then corralled a nearby car and chased Kelley as he tried to flee the scene in his truck. After a high-speed chase, Kelley succumbed to a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. He was found dead in a roadside ditch.[4] It was the deadliest mass shooting in Texas history, surpassing the Luby's shooting in October 1991 and the fifth deadliest mass shooting in the history of the United States.[6][7]
Geography
Old Sutherland Springs occupies a portion of the south bank of Cibolo Creek, with New Sutherland Springs (which is mostly in ruins) on the north bank of the creek.[citation needed]