Texan Who Engaged Shooter Shares His Story [VIDEO]

Texan Who Engaged Shooter Shares His Story [VIDEO]



Posted By Amber Athey On 4:47 PM 11/06/2017
https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gam...0&c=1510027950

The Texan who engaged the Sutherland Springs church shooter is finally sharing his story.


Stephen Willeford, who is described as a former NRA instructor, grabbed an AR-15 when he discovered a man was shooting up the church and ran to the scene to stop him.


“I kept hearing the shots, one after another, very rapid shots – just ‘pop pop pop pop’ and I knew every one of those shots represented someone, that it was aimed at someone, that they weren’t just random shots,” Willeford told 4029 News.


“He saw me and I saw him. I was standing behind a pickup truck for cover,” Willeford said. “I know I hit him. He got into his vehicle, and he fired another couple rounds through his side window. When the window dropped, I fired another round at him again.”


Ken Leonard, who is Willeford’s cousin, shared what Willeford told him of the shooting during a CNN interview on Monday afternoon.


WATCH:


(VIDEO at Link)


Leonard said Stephen’s daughter drove by the church to see what was happening after hearing the gunshots, and came home to tell her father that a man in black was shooting people.


“Stephen went into his safe, grabbed his AR…grabbed a handful of ammo and a magazine, and was running barefooted toward the shooting,” Leonard said. “[Stephen] said he was loading the magazine as fast as he could, he didn’t even know how many rounds he had put in the magazine.”


When Stephen arrived to the church, Kelley had come outside and seemed to be reloading. Stephen noticed that Kelley was wearing a body armor vest, so he decided to aim for Kelley’s side.


“That’s where he shot him the first time,” Leonard said. “The man dropped the weapon when he was shot and went and forced his way into an SUV and he pushed him into the passenger side.”


“As he was doing that, Stephen shot him again in the neck….and that’s when Stephen shot him a third time in the neck again,” he continued.
Willeford was able to hitch a ride with local resident Johnnie Langendorff and the two men pursued Kelley in a high-speed chase. Eventually Kelley came to a stop, and Leonard said Kelley was dead by the time Willeford approached the vehicle.



RELATED: THE HIGH SPEED CHASE OF THE MASS SHOOTER

(Video at Link)




http://dailycaller.com/2017/11/06/te...s-story-video/

(Videos at Link)

Man who shot Texas church gunman shares his story

Updated: 6:07 PM CST Nov 6, 2017

Adam Roberts

Joshua Cole



SHOW TRANSCRIPT

SUTHERLAND SPRINGS, Texas —Stephen Willeford shot and chased the man who killed 26 people in a Texas church on Sunday. He spoke to 40/29 News in an exclusive sit-down interview on Monday.
Willeford was at home when his daughter came into his bedroom to tell him she heard gunshots at the First Baptist Church nearby.

Willeford, a former NRA instructor, got his rifle out of his safe while his daughter looked outside again. She ran back in and told him she saw a man in black tactical gear shooting up the church.




"I kept hearing the shots, one after another, very rapid shots - just 'pop pop pop pop' and I knew every one of those shots represented someone, that it was aimed at someone, that they weren't just random shots," Willeford said."

Willeford loaded his magazine and ran across the street to the church, not even taking the time to put on shoes. When Willeford saw the gunman, he exchanged gunfire.

"He saw me and I saw him," Willeford said. "I was standing behind a pickup truck for cover."

"I know I hit him," Willeford said. "He got into his vehicle, and he fired another couple rounds through his side window. When the window dropped, I fired another round at him again."




The gunman then sped down the highway.

Willeford spotted a pickup truck at a stop sign. He ran to the truck and asked the driver for help.

"That guy just shot up the Baptist church. We need to stop him," Willeford told the driver.

Willeford and the driver chased the gunman down the highway. On the way, they called 911 to give a description of the gunman's vehicle and where they were.

Eventually, they caught up to the gunman's truck. The gunman slowed down before speeding up and hitting a road sign. The gunman's truck flipped and went down into a ditch.

Willeford got out of the truck and put his rifle on top of the truck, keeping his eye on where the gunman's vehicle was.

Willeford yelled "get out of the truck, get out of the truck," but never saw any movement. Law enforcement came to the scene. They believe the gunman committed suicide.

Willeford said he's no hero.

"I think my God, my Lord protected me and gave me the skills to do what needed to be done," Willeford said.

Willeford's family has lived in the Sutherland Springs area for four generations. He had numerous friends who went to the church.
The mass shooting left 20 others wounded in the small town, about 30 miles east of San Antonio.

Law enforcement later identified the suspect as Devin Patrick Kelley.
The massacre killed about 4% of the town's population. And no one at church was left unscathed, Wilson County Sheriff Joe Tackitt said.
"I think nearly everyone had some type of injury," the sheriff told reporters Monday.


Texas Gov. Greg Abbott called the slaughter "the largest mass shooting" in the state's history and ordered flags to fly at half-staff across the state Monday.




http://www.4029tv.com/article/man-wh...story/13437943

https://youtu.be/B4HEchh0XD8

https://youtu.be/B4HEchh0XD8

Such a brave person.