Two quick-thinking locals have been hailed as heroes for stopping the man responsible for the worst ever mass shooting in Texas which left 26 dead.

Stephen Willeford, 55, confronted gunman Devin Patrick Kelley, 26, when he was leaving First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs, wounding him, before he and Johnnie Langendorff, 27, chased him in a car after he fled.

During the 95mph car chase, Kelley lost control of his vehicle and ran off the road, before shooting himself in the head. He called his father shortly before to say he had been shot and didn't think he was going to make it.

Texas Department of Public Safety Regional Director Freeman Martin said Willeford ran out his home barefoot with his rifle and 'engaged the suspect'.

A local resident told DailyMail.com that Willeford, who attends a different church, was first alerted to the shooting when his daughter called him saying there was a man in body armor gunning down church goers during mass.

He grabbed his gun and headed down to confront the gunman.

Scroll down for video

Quick-thinking: Stephen Willeford, 55, (left) and Johnnie Langendorff (right) have been praised as heroes after they were able to stop Texas gunman Devin Kelley's rampage

'Chase him': Langendorff explained on Good Morning America on Monday that Willeford got in his truck and said '"He just shot up the church". He said "Chase him" so that's what I did.'

Kelley lost control of his car (pictured) during a high-speed car chase after he fled the church; he had been confronted by Willeford, who had shot him, before the duo pursued him

Footage from the scene shows Langendorff's truck, circled, still on the road. He said after Kelley swerved off the road, he'd put his vehicle in park while the neighbor got his gun ready

Willeford, a local plumber with no military experience, is however an excellent shot according to the resident, and when he came face to face with Kelley, he shot in between his body armor, hitting him in his side.

At this point Langendorff, who has a tattoo of a Texas Longhorn on his neck and who was headed to his girlfriend's house, came across the exchange of fire.

When Kelley dropped his Ruger assault rifle and fled in an SUV, Willeford came up to Langendorff and hopped in his truck.

'The neighbor with the rifle came to my truck and he opened my door and said, "He shot up the church", and got in, Langendorff told Good Morning America. 'He said, "Chase him" so that's what I did. I just chase him.

'It semeed everybody had headed up to the church. I'm not sure if anybody really realized that he had left and gone that direction.'

He added that he did not 'freak out' about the situation, adding: 'It was an act now, ask questions later kind of deal.'

In a Facebook post, Langendorff's girlfriend Summer Caddel described how the pair had 'jumped in my boyfriend's truck and they chased that sick b*****d down in pursuit until the cops could catch up. He was able to run the shooter off of the road on 539!'

Devin Patrick Kelley (pictured left, and in a mugshot from a previous crime) walked into the First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs, dressed in full combat gear, and began shooting

The shooting happened at the First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs (pictured), where around 50 people usually attend service; Kelley killed 26

Langendorff told KSAT 12 that he'd been speeding at 95mph, while on the phone to dispatch, while Willeford kept his rifle trained on the gunman's car.

As they approached a sharp curve in the road, near the 307 and 539, he said Kelley appeared to lose control and his car swerved off the road.

'That's when I put the truck in park,' he said. 'The other gentleman jumped out, and had his rifle on him. He didn't move after that.'

11 mile chase: Devin Patrick Kelley was confronted outside the First Baptist Church after killing 26 people where he was shot by Stephen Willeford; he then fled in an SUV, where Willeford and Johnnie Langendorff pursued him. After an 11mile, 95mph chase, he crashed and died at the scene from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head

Langendorff, who pursued the suspect, kissed his girlfriend (pictured) as he was picked up from the scene where the suspect died near the intersection of FM 539 and Sandy Elm Road in Guadalupe County

Caddel added that Kelley died within a few feet from her boyfriend Langendorff (pictured at the scene). It came after another man shot Kelley after he had left the church

Kelley had opened fire on parishioners during Mass and was attempting to leave the church when keen biker and excellent marksman Stephen Willeford, 55, (pictured) confronted him

The local said that while Willeford (right) has no military experience, he is an excellent shot, and when he came face to face with Kelley, he didn't hesitate; he shot in between Kelley's body armor, hitting him in his side

Kelley was already dead when they found him inside his vehicle having shot himself dead. Police revealed during a press conference on Monday that the gunman called his father to let him know he had been shot and he didn't think he was going to make it.

'At this time we believe that he had a self-inflicted gunshot wound,' Wilson County Sheriff Joe Tackitt told CBS News on Monday.

Neither Langendorff nor Willeford were injured.

Director Martin confirmed that police had found Kelley dead, saying that: 'We are not sure if it was self inflicted or if he was shot by a local resident.'

Cops also found multiple weapons and possible explosives in the vehicle.

Caddel said she was 'beyond thankful that my boyfriend chased that sick ass down before he did anymore damage.'

Langendorff, of Seguin, Texas, worked at NAPA Auto Parts, according to his Facebook page which has been swamped with words of praise from people hailing him as a hero for his part in taking down Kelley.

In a Facebook post, Langendorff's girlfriend Summer Caddel (pictured with him) described how the pair had 'jumped in my boyfriend's truck and they chased that sick b*****d down in pursuit until the cops could catch up