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26 worshippers killed in Texas church shooting (Third Lead)
Washington, Nov 6 (IANS) A lone gunman carrying a military-style rifle opened fire on worshippers at a Baptist church in Texas killing 26 people in one of the deadliest mass shooting in the US state’s history, media reports said.
The attack took place on Sunday morning in Sutherland Springs, a small town some 45 km southeast of San Antonio city.
Law enforcement officials told The New York Times that the gunman was identified as Devin Patrick Kelley, 26, who died shortly after the attack. The cause of his death was being investigated.
Kelley started firing at the First Baptist Church shortly after the morning service began at 11 a.m., the police said.
He was armed with a Ruger AR-556 rifle, and within minutes, many of those inside the small church were dead and injured.
After the carnage, a local resident engaged Kelley in a gun battle as he exited the church.
Kelley fled at high speed with the civilian in pursuit before running off the roadway, where he was later found dead.
“The local citizen pursued him,” Freeman Martin, a senior official for the Texas Department of Public Safety told The Washington Post.
“We don’t know if it was a self-inflicted gunshot wound or if he was shot by our local resident who engaged him in a gunfight.”
The motive for the attack remains unknown.
The victims ranged between the ages of five to 72 years old and included at least eight members of a family, a pregnant woman and three of her children along with the 14-year-old daughter of the church’s pastor, Martin added.
Kelley was a member of the US Air Force and served at Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico from 2010 until his discharge, Air Force spokeswoman Ann Stefanek told CNN.
Kelley was court-martialled in 2012 for assaulting his spouse and child. He served a year in confinement and received a bad conduct discharge.
His rank was also reduced, she added.
On Sunday night, Sutherland Springs residents took part in a candlelight vigil.
Governor Greg Abbott also attended the event. He said that he and other Texans were asking “for God’s comfort, for God’s guidance and for God’s healing for all those who are suffering”.
President Donald Trump, at a news conference on Monday in Tokyo, said that he thought “mental health” was the problem, reports The Washington Post.
“Based on preliminary reports,” he said, the shooter was “a very deranged individual, a lot of problems for a long period of time”.
Trump did not provide the basis for his statement, saying “it’s a little bit soon to go into it”.
“This isn’t a guns situation… Fortunately someone else had a gun that was shooting in the opposite direction” or it “would have been much worse”.
Sunday’s massacre unfolded on the eighth anniversary of the attack in 2009 on Fort Hood in Texas, when an Army psychiatrist, Major Nidal Malik Hasan, killed 13 people in one of the deadliest mass shootings at an American military base.
–IANS
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Dr. Abhishek Verma Dedicates a Shelter in Memory of His Mother, Veena Verma, at KGMU; Inaugurated by Daughter Nicolle Verma
World-renowned business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has supported Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission. In memory of his mother, Late Veena Verma, who was a 3 term Rajya Sabha MP.
Dr. Verma dedicated a state-of-the-art free permanent shelter for the attendants of patients at KGMU Medical University, Lucknow, under the aegis of Vijay Shree Foundation. His daughter, Nicolle Verma, inaugurated the shelter.
During the event, Foodman Vishal Singh honored Nicolle Verma by presenting her with a memento. Mrs. Nidhi Sharma and Avantika Yadav, associated with the organization, welcomed her with garlands. Following this, Nicolle Verma distributed essential items to the attendants and also handed out fruits. She became emotional remembering her grandmother on her birth anniversary.
On this occasion, she also inaugurated the “Veena Verma Sevalaya” in memory of her grandmother, Veena Verma, to serve the attendants. She expressed, “I feel proud that my family is engaged in nation-building as well as social service. Today, in collaboration with Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh Ji, I feel immensely proud to dedicate this shelter for the poor, helpless, and needy attendants of patients battling serious illnesses like cancer. I am honored to be associated with the Hunger-Free World Mission for humanity.”
Inspired by the continuous humanitarian service provided by Vijay Shree Foundation over the past 17 years, Nicolle Verma donated 10 lakh rupees to support the cause. The purpose of this donation is to ensure that services continue for the needy attendants of patients suffering from severe illnesses in hospitals, as facilitated by Foodman Vishal Singh.
It is noteworthy that Dr. Abhishek Verma’s family has a legacy of public and philanthropic service. They are helping millions to carry forward the values and service work of their parents. On the occasion of his mother’s birth anniversary, Dr. Abhishek Verma dedicated this state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College to serve the attendants of patients through the Vijay Shree Foundation.
Supporting Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission, Dr. Abhishek Verma assured that he would continually support keeping this flame of humanity alive. He also promised to assist in providing medicines to the helpless patients.
Continuing her grandmother’s legacy of service, Nicolle Verma personally served food to the needy patients and attendants. She said, “It is our good fortune to have received the joy of doing this noble work today through Foodman Vishal Singh. I have taken another step forward in carrying my family’s values and cooperation by joining hands with the Vijay Shree Foundation. My father taught me to serve and help the needy, and I feel happy when I bring a smile to someone’s face.”
On the birth anniversary of the late Veena Verma, the event organizer, Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh, said, “We feel proud and happy that Dr. Abhishek Verma, a globally renowned business tycoon, has extended his support to uplift our country from the hunger index. Today, on his mother’s birth anniversary, he inaugurated a state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College, which will always be helpful for the needy attendants of patients. It is a pleasure for me and the organization to receive the affection of Mr. Verma.”
The event was attended by General Manager Verma Family Office Hemant Garg, Sonu Rajput, and the organization’s volunteers, including Sandeep Singh, Parmeshwar Ji, Prashant Rao Gautam, Balram Singh, Ramesh Chaudhary, Suman, Jeetu, Anil, Suraj, Vinay, Manish Bhadauria, Manas Mehrotra, Vivek, Apurv, Happy, and others.
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