Texas Church Shooter Cited For Animal Cruelty In Colorado Springs

COLORADO SPRINGS, CO -- Devin Kelley, the man suspected of killing 26 attendees at a Sutherland Springs, Texas church service Sunday, lived briefly in a Colorado Springs trailer park and was convicted of misdemeanor charges of animal cruelty in 2014. Neighbors at the Fountain Creek RV Park called authorities after several witnesses saw Kelley beat a young Husky with his fists, jump on top of the dog and carry it by the neck, according to a Denver Post story about the arrest affidavit.

Mesa Co. Sheriff's deputies reported that neighbors and other witnesses saw Kelley beat the dog:

“He could hear the suspect yelling at the dog and while he was striking it, the dog was yelping and whining. The suspect then picked up the dog by the neck into the air and threw it onto the ground and then drug him away to lot 60.”

According to the Post story, sheriff's deputies knocked on Kelley's trailer and found the dog malnourished, they reported. The deputy reported the dog's rib bones could be felt.

On Aug. 1, 2014, Kelley was charged with misdemeanor cruelty to animals. He was convicted and fined. The case was closed in 2016, after Kelley had moved to New Braunfels, Texas, where relatives reportedly lived.

The Associated Press reported that Kelley had served in the Air Force out of Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico from 2010 until his 2014 dishonorable discharge. A U.S. Air Force spokesperson said Kelley was courtmartialed in 2012 for domestic violence on his spouse and child.

On Sunday, dressed in black, and armed with a semi-automatic weapon, Kelley allegedly opened fire during services at the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas, firing first from the outside, then from the inside, killing at least 26 people, some of them children, and injuring many more, officials said.

Texas Department of Public Safety Regional Director Freeman Martin told reporters at a press conference that a local citizen grabbed his own rifle and engaged the suspect as he exited the church, and then pursued the suspect by car.

The gunman fled in his vehicle and then crashed into a fence at the Guadeloupe County line. He was found dead inside his vehicle, officials said. It is not known whether the gunman took his own life or was killed by the resident who pursued him. Officials said numerous weapons were found inside the gunman's vehicle and he was wearing a bullet-proof vest.

Also See: Man Describes Chase For Texas Church Suspect

SEE ALSO:

• Texas Church Shooting: At Least 26 Dead In Sutherland Springs
  
• Texas Shooting: More Added To U.S. Mass Shooting Casualty Tally
• Devin P. Kelley, Texas Church Massacre Suspect: 5 Facts
• Texas Church Shooting: Suspect Denied Gun Permit, Governor Says
• Texas Rep. Falls For Hoax Misidentifying Alleged Church Gunman
• Texas Resident Grabbed His Rifle, Stopped Church Shooting Suspect
• Misinformation Abounds In Wake Of Texas Mass Shooting

This report was written by Feroze Dhanoa (Patch National Staff). The Associated Press contributed to this report. Tony Cantu and Colin Miner of Patch contributed reporting.

Photo: Law enforcement officers gather in front of the First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs after a fatal shooting, Sunday, Nov. 5, 2017, in Sutherland Springs, Texas. Photo by Darren Abate/Associated Press