Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility

Neptune to Launch a Creator-First, Customizable Algorithm Social Platform to Rival TikTok

6 hours ago

Kamala Harris Will Not Run for Governor of California in 2026

6 hours ago

Trump Pushes for Release of Epstein, Maxwell Grand Jury Testimony

8 hours ago

Trump Says US to Hit India With 25% Tariff Starting Friday

9 hours ago

Tariff Revenues Hit Record $150 Billion Amid Trump’s Trade Talks, Fox Business Reports

10 hours ago

Israeli Minister Hints at Annexing Parts of Gaza

11 hours ago

Fed Likely to Hold Rates Steady Despite Trump’s Push for Big Cuts

11 hours ago

What’s Behind California’s Frozen Housing Market?

1 day ago

Marjorie Taylor Greene Is First Republican Lawmaker to Call Gaza Crisis a ‘Genocide’

1 day ago
Minister: Texas Gunman Grew Angry in Past Over Cash Requests
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 6 years ago on
December 31, 2019

Share

WHITE SETTLEMENT, Texas — The man who opened fire inside a Texas church, killing two people before being shot to death, visited the church several other times this year and was given food but got angry when officials refused to give him money, the minister said.

“The only clear shot I had was his head because I still had people in the pews that were not all the way down as low as they could. That was my one shot.” — Jack Wilson, a member of the church’s volunteer security team
Keith Thomas Kinnunen, 43, brought a shotgun into the West Freeway Church of Christ in the Fort Worth-area town of White Settlement during Sunday services and opened fire, killing church members Richard White and Anton “Tony” Wallace, according to police. Witnesses said he was wearing a fake beard, a wig, a hat and a long coat, which drew the attention of the church’s security team.
Minister Britt Farmer told The Christian Chronicle that he recognized Kinnunen after seeing a photo of him without the disguise.
“We’ve helped him on several occasions with food,” Farmer said in the interview. “He gets mad when we won’t give him cash. He’s been here on multiple occasions.”
Authorities said Kinnunen’s motive remained under investigation. He was fatally shot by Jack Wilson, a member of the church’s volunteer security team, within seconds of the attack.
“The only clear shot I had was his head because I still had people in the pews that were not all the way down as low as they could. That was my one shot,” Wilson said Monday from his home in nearby Granbury, adding that several other churchgoers had their weapons drawn as well.
Photo of Keith Thomas Kinnunen
This June 16, 2015, photo provided by the River Oaks Police Department, in Texas, shows Keith Thomas Kinnunen. Authorities say that Kinnunen is the man who carried out an attack Sunday, Dec. 29, 2019, at West Freeway Church of Christ in White Settlement, Texas. (River Oaks Police Department via AP)

‘We Can’t Prevent Every Incident’

The actions of Wilson and other armed churchgoers quickly drew praise from some Texas lawmakers and gun-rights advocates. Texas officials hailed the state’s gun laws, including a measure enacted this year that affirmed the right of licensed handgun holders to carry a weapon inside places of worship unless a facility bans them.
“We can’t prevent every incident, we can’t prevent mental illness from occurring, and we can’t prevent every crazy person from pulling a gun, but we can be prepared like this church was,” Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton told reporters Monday.
President Donald Trump tweeted Monday night and Tuesday morning about the attack, both times highlighting the role of armed citizens in stopping the shooter. “If it were not for the fact that there were people inside of the church that were both armed, and highly proficient in using their weapon, the end result would have been catastrophic. A big THANK YOU to them!” Trump tweeted Tuesday.
But other Texas lawmakers, while praising the churchgoers’ actions, called for a special legislative session to address gun violence after a devastating year that included mass shootings in El Paso and the West Texas cities of Odessa and Midland.
“As lawmakers, we must come together to address the rise in gun violence we have seen in Texas,” state Sen. Beverly Powell, D-Fort Worth, said in a statement Monday. “Yesterday’s gunman had a long criminal record, including charges of aggravated assault and possession of an illegal weapon. We must respect the Second Amendment while also working together to keep guns out of the hands of those who wish to do harm to Texans worshiping in a church, attending school or shopping for their children.”
[activecampaign form=29]

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

Madera Man Sentenced to 34 Years to Life in Fresno Murder Case

DON'T MISS

High Noon Recalls Mislabeled Vodka Seltzers Shipped in Celsius Cans, NBC Reports

DON'T MISS

Wired Wednesday: New Fresno Ordinance Targets Vacant Blighted Properties

DON'T MISS

Fresno Unified Trustee Susan Wittrup Responds to $162,000 Payout

DON'T MISS

Visalia Suspect in Fatal Assault and Serial Sexual Battery Cases Arrested in Alaska

DON'T MISS

Canada Says It Intends to Recognize a Palestinian State in September

DON'T MISS

Dubai Nut Processor Aims for October Opening in Fresno: Dyer

DON'T MISS

Costa Blasts GOP Over Medi-Cal Cuts. His 2026 Opponent Defends Them

DON'T MISS

Trump Says US and Pakistan Have Concluded a Trade Deal

DON'T MISS

Trump Imposes Scaled-Back Copper Tariff, US Prices Plunge

UP NEXT

Trump Says US and Pakistan Have Concluded a Trade Deal

UP NEXT

Trump Imposes Scaled-Back Copper Tariff, US Prices Plunge

UP NEXT

Neptune to Launch a Creator-First, Customizable Algorithm Social Platform to Rival TikTok

UP NEXT

Trump Signs Order Implementing Additional 40% Tariff on Brazil, White House Says

UP NEXT

Trump Says US to Hit India With 25% Tariff Starting Friday

UP NEXT

Republican US Senator Grassley Clashes With Trump Over Nominations

UP NEXT

Tariff Revenues Hit Record $150 Billion Amid Trump’s Trade Talks, Fox Business Reports

UP NEXT

California Under Tsunami Advisory After Magnitude 8.7 Earthquake

UP NEXT

New York Gunman Was Flagged by Security Camera System Before Attack, Sources Say

UP NEXT

US House Panel Rejects Immunity Request by Epstein Associate Maxwell

Fresno Unified Trustee Susan Wittrup Responds to $162,000 Payout

3 hours ago

Visalia Suspect in Fatal Assault and Serial Sexual Battery Cases Arrested in Alaska

4 hours ago

Canada Says It Intends to Recognize a Palestinian State in September

4 hours ago

Dubai Nut Processor Aims for October Opening in Fresno: Dyer

4 hours ago

Costa Blasts GOP Over Medi-Cal Cuts. His 2026 Opponent Defends Them

4 hours ago

Trump Says US and Pakistan Have Concluded a Trade Deal

5 hours ago

Trump Imposes Scaled-Back Copper Tariff, US Prices Plunge

5 hours ago

Neptune to Launch a Creator-First, Customizable Algorithm Social Platform to Rival TikTok

6 hours ago

Kamala Harris Will Not Run for Governor of California in 2026

6 hours ago

How Netanyahu Keeps Playing Trump for a Fool in Gaza

7 hours ago

Madera Man Sentenced to 34 Years to Life in Fresno Murder Case

A Madera man was sentenced to 34 years to life in prison on Wednesday for the 2017 shooting death of Roberto Ramos in Fresno, the Fresno Cou...

2 hours ago

Lavale Vean Jr., 28, was sentenced Wednesday, July 30, 2025, to 34 years to life in prison for the 2017 murder of Roberto Ramos in Fresno. (Fresno County SO)
2 hours ago

Madera Man Sentenced to 34 Years to Life in Fresno Murder Case

High Noon has recalled some vodka seltzers after they were accidentally labeled as Celsius energy drinks and shipped to six states. (Shutterstock)
3 hours ago

High Noon Recalls Mislabeled Vodka Seltzers Shipped in Celsius Cans, NBC Reports

3 hours ago

Wired Wednesday: New Fresno Ordinance Targets Vacant Blighted Properties

Fresno Unified Susan Wittrup
3 hours ago

Fresno Unified Trustee Susan Wittrup Responds to $162,000 Payout

Adrian Hernandez Medrano, 20, accused in multiple sexual battery cases and a fatal assault in Visalia was arrested in Alaska, police said. (Visalia PD)
4 hours ago

Visalia Suspect in Fatal Assault and Serial Sexual Battery Cases Arrested in Alaska

Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney speaks to journalists outside his office on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada June 30, 2025. (Reuters File)
4 hours ago

Canada Says It Intends to Recognize a Palestinian State in September

4 hours ago

Dubai Nut Processor Aims for October Opening in Fresno: Dyer

Congressmember Jim Costa defends Medicaid / Medi-Cal, and responds to GOP criticism at a Fresno news conference on July 30, 2025
4 hours ago

Costa Blasts GOP Over Medi-Cal Cuts. His 2026 Opponent Defends Them

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend