Utah, Nov. 6, 2017 (Gephardt Daily) — Governor Gary Herbert has ordered the flags of the United States of America and the state of Utah to be flown at half-staff to honor the victims of Sunday’s mass shooting in Sutherland Springs, Texas, by order of President Donald Trump.
The flag will be flown at half-staff at all state office buildings beginning Monday morning through sunset on Thursday, the Governor’s office said in a news release.
“All are asked to make necessary arrangements to lower the flags,” the news release said. “Individuals, businesses, and other organizations are encouraged to join in this tribute.”
At least eight members of the same family were among the 26 people killed Sunday.
The mass shooting left about 20 others wounded at the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, about 30 miles east of San Antonio.
None of the victims’ names have been released pending notification of family, officials said, but their ages range from 5 to 72.
The suspect walked into the church and began shooting at about 11:20 a.m.
Twenty-three people were found dead inside the church, two dead outside the church, and one died on the way to an area hospital, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said in a news conference Sunday night.
The shooter was wounded by an armed resident who confronted him outside the church and shot him. The suspect then turned the gun on himself, CNN is reporting. The shooter was dressed in all-black tactical gear, including a ballistic vest, and was later found dead in his vehicle.
The shooting suspect has been identified as 26-year-old Devin Patrick Kelley; a former U.S. Air Force member who served from 2010 to 2014.
The Los Angeles Times reported later Sunday that, according to a statement from Ann Stefanek, the chief of Media Operations for the Air Force, Kelley served in logistics readiness at Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico starting in 2010 and was court-martialed in 2012 for two counts alleging assault on his spouse and assault on their child.
Kelley was convicted and sentenced to 12 months in custody and given a bad conduct discharge, Stefanek said. He was discharged in 2014.
President Donald Trump released the following statement related to the lowering of the flags:
We are deeply saddened by the shooting in Sutherland Springs, Texas, which took the lives of more than 25 innocent victims while they were attending church. As we mourn the victims of this unprovoked act of violence, we pray for healing and comfort for all the family members and loved ones who are grieving.
As a mark of respect for the victims of this senseless act of violence perpetrated on November 5, 2017, by the authority vested in me as President of the United States by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, I hereby order that the flag of the United States shall be flown at half-staff at the White House and upon all public buildings and grounds, at all military posts and naval stations, and on all naval vessels of the Federal Government in the District of Columbia and throughout the United States and its Territories and possessions until sunset, November 9, 2017. I also direct that the flag shall be flown at half-staff for the same length of time at all United States embassies, legations, consular offices, and other facilities abroad, including all military facilities and naval vessels and stations.
