- The gunman behind the deadly shooting at a church in Sutherland Springs, Texas had a personal connection to the scene of the attack.
- Devin Patrick Kelley's mother-in-law attended the church.
- Kelley had sent his mother-in-law threatening text messages before the massacre.
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The Texas shooter sent threatening text messages to his mother-in-law who attended the church
"There was a domestic situation going on within this family," one official said.
Devin Patrick Kelley, the gunman behind the deadly church shooting in Sutherland Springs, Texas, had a personal connection to the scene of the attack.
"The suspect's mother-in-law attended this church," Freeman Martin, the regional director of the Texas Department of Public Safety, said at a press conference Monday. Martin confirmed that the woman had received "threatening text messages" from Kelley.
"There was a domestic situation going on within this family," Martin said, noting that he released the information to clarify that the shooting was not racially or religiously motivated.
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Kelley fatally shot 26 people on Sunday at the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs. Authorities have not confirmed a motive for the attack.
Kelley was found dead after the attack and authorities believe he killed himself.
It was not immediately clear who Kelley's mother-in-law is, as he was reportedly married twice. It's likely the mother of Danielle Lee Shields, whom Kelley married in Texas in 2014, according to The New York Times.
Kelley was previously married to a woman whom he lived with at Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico, where he was serving in the military. While married to his first wife, Kelley was charged with "assault on his spouse and assault on their child," an Air Force spokesperson confirmed to The Times.
He was sentenced to confinement for 12 months and discharged from the military.
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