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The Sutherland Springs gunman was pursued and shot by a “have-a-go-hero” whose actions helped prevent further victims, it emerged today.

Stephen Willeford, 55, grabbed his own rifle and rushed to confront Devin Kelley after being told an attack was underway by his daughter.

As he arrived outside the church he came face-to-face with Kelley.

Mr Willeford, a plumber with no military experience, shot him in the side through a gap in his body armour, forcing the killer to flee.

Mr Willeford and another passing resident, Johnnie Langedorff, then chased him at almost 100 miles per hour in a car as the wounded killer tried to make a getaway after taking a hostage.

Kelley is said to have killed 26 people – including a child aged five – when he stormed into the church on Sunday dressed in black tactical gear and armed with an assault rifle.

Freeman Martin, regional director of the Texas Department of Public Safety, said: “The suspect dropped his rifle, which was a Ruger AR assault-type rifle, and fled from the church. The man then chased the gunman.”

Mr Langedorff said: “He got a little bit of a jump on us. So we were doing about 95 miles per hour, going around traffic and everything.

“He just lost control and that’s whenever I put the vehicle in park. The other gentleman jumped out and had his rifle drawn on him and he didn’t move after that.”

Kelley was found a short distance away in his crashed vehicle, dead from a bullet wound. He had several more guns in his car, but the hostage was unhurt.

Police are still trying to establish whether Kelley died from Mr Willeford’s shot, or if he committed suicide.

President Donald Trump praised Mr Willeford for preventing further casualties, as he ignored questions about whether the US needs to consider tightening gun laws.

Speaking at a news conference in Japan, Mr Trump said: “Fortunately somebody else had a gun that was shooting in the opposite direction, otherwise it would have been – as bad as it was – it would have been much worse.”

More details emerged today about Kelley, a former Bible study teacher.

He served in logistics readiness at Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico, and was jailed for one year in 2012 on two counts alleging assault on his wife Danielle Shields and their child.

In 2014, he was kicked out of the military.

Old school friends described Kelley, who lived in nearby New Braunfels, Texas, as a “creep” who made no secret of his anti-religious views.

Nina Rose Nava, who went to school with Kelley, said: “He was always talking about how people who believe in God were stupid and trying to preach his atheism.’

On Kelley’s Facebook page, he appeared to have a fascination with guns. He had recently shared a photo of an AR-15 style gun with the caption: ‘She’s a bad b***h.”

Kelley’s mother-in-law, Michelle Shields, is understood to be a parishioner at the First Baptist Church and was friends on social media with First Baptist Pastor Frank Pomeroy and his wife.

The shooting comes just over a month after a gunman opened fire on an outdoor music festival on the Las Vegas Strip from the 32nd floor of a hotel-casino, killing 58 people and wounding more than 500.