Texas shooting update: Devin Kelley escaped mental health facility in 2012

Escaped from Peak Behavioral Health Services in 2012

SUTHERLAND SPRINGS, Texas – Investigators have recovered the cellphone belonging to Devon Kelley, but say it's protected by a pass code and have enlisted the help of the FBI as they continue to process the crime scene.

The shooting at the First Baptist Church started without warning on Sunday, Nov. 5, and to the survivors, it felt as if it would never end.

"It went on for about 10 minutes and he stopped and everybody thought it's going to be OK. Everyone's going to be OK," said Rosanne Solis, one of the victims, "and then he started again."

Related: Man who encountered Texas shooter before church massacre describes him as 'miserable'

Investigators have recovered 15 empty magazines and hundreds of spent shells. 

"When the first call came in, the Wilson County police arrived within four minutes." said Freeman Martin, the regional director of the Texas Department of Public Safety. "I can tell you that four minutes is a long time in an active shooter situation."

Over the course of the four minutes, Kelley had killed 26 people, including eight members of the Holcombe family.

"They were a family like no other," said family friend Debbie Boff. "Bryan and Carla would give you the shirt off their back if you needed it."

Newly uncovered documents show that Kelley had escaped from a mental health facility months before being convicted of assaulting his first wife and fracturing the skull of his infant stepson. The domestic violence conviction should have made it illegal for the former Air Force service member to purchase firearms, but in a statement, the Air Force admitted Kelley's court martial was never entered into the national criminal database.

Two days after the shooting, Texas authorities forwarded the gunman's locked cellphone to an FBI crime lab, hoping to gain access to it and any clues it may hold.

ORIGINAL STORY: Sutherland Springs church shooting: What we know


About the Authors:

Derick is the Lead Digital Editor for ClickOnDetroit and has been with Local 4 News since April 2013. Derick specializes in breaking news, crime and local sports.