November 5, 2017 was almost a year ago this will be a day that my home town will never forget. I can still hear the sirens of emergency vehicles, helicopters flying over, seeing news reports all over social media pop up, text and calls come in asking if everyone was okay. Coming from a small-town hearing gun shots isn’t a big deal especially in the fall (its deer season), but these were no ordinary gun shots. There was a thickness in the air that day, it was kind of gloomy and over cast. These will be the memories that I will never forget, but these memories are nothing compared to what the local hero Stephen Willieford and everyone affected directly had to experience.
It was a casual Sunday morning in the fall, everyone was at church or headed to lunch with the family. Willieford had been going to the Church of Christ in San Antonio, Texas, but he lives across the street from the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas. Williford and his wife decided to stay home from church and rest up for the upcoming week at work. Little did they know making that decision to stay home from church that day would turn their world upside down.
The mass shooting happened at 11:30 am at the First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs, it took "26 lives, 20 injured with age ranging from 77 to Eighteen months old. Eight of those lives taken were children, one victim was pregnant, three couples died together, and a set of three young sibling’s lives were all taken. A close family to the Williefords were the Holcombes who lost nine of their family members in the tragedy." Texas Monthly reports
Willieford was a brave soul that day, after hearing these gun shots that were very disturbing, being very familiar with guns he went straight into action. He looked around and could tell something wasn't right over at the Baptist church. Willieford went to his gun safe and properly loaded his AR-15. Without hesitation, he ran over to the white chapel, yelling as loud as he could “Hey!” The gun fire stopped, the gunman heard Willieford cry out. The survivors told Williford that it was “the Holy Spirit calling the demon out of the church.” The gunman walked out the chapel doors and started shooting at Willieford. The shoot-out between the hero and the demon had begun. Willieford shot the gunman in the chest but he was wearing protective gear so the bullet didn’t harm the gunman. Willieford recalled what a police officer once told him and that was to aim at the side of the chest towards the rib cage, or the legs, these were definite unprotected areas. Willieford shot the gunman in the side creating a wound as the gunman ran to his white Ford Explorer. The gunman took off down FM 539 towards Seguin, Texas. These are very windy, hilly roads that has many county roads that cut off.
Johnnie Langendorff a random pedestrian who happened to be driving by at the time saw Willieford outside the church with an AR-15 (the same kind of gun used in the mass shooting). Without hesitation Williford jumped in Langendorff’s truck and the two men went after the gunman.
Living in a small-town everyone knows everyone and if you don’t know them then you’ll get to know them really quick. Langendorff was on the phone with 911 while the two men raced down the farm-to-market road topping speeds at 90 miles per hour. Willieford held his gun tightly, he only had 2 bullets left and he had to use them wisely. The two men knew they had to get this reckless driver killer off the road before he took even more lives. Luckily the two men were able to catch up the gunman and within a couple hundred years of reaching the vehicle the gunman swerved off the road into a field and stopped. Williford jumped out using the door of the truck as protection he aimed his gun at the gunman until the police arrived on scene. Once the police arrived they started to yell at the driver to exit the vehicle with his hand up. There was no response. They used a drone to fly over to see if there was life in the vehicle, but from a self-inflicted wound to the head the gunman was dead.
This was a very tragic incident that happened only 5 minutes down the road from my house, I had a distant family member that lost her life that day and a classmate that was injured. This was the first tragic shooting in Texas history, and for this to only happen right down the road it hit way to close to home.
This is so emotional to read honestly and not only that! but this happen in your home town - the through of that happening here in Bryan is mind blowing to me Haley ;everything about this blog is great work for real.
ReplyDeleteThis is a sad story and just to know that you were local when this happened is terrifying. This is a really good blog!
ReplyDeleteThis must've been very emotional experience for you, especially losing a family member.
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