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Trump Calls Texas Church Shooter 'Deranged'

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SUTHERLAND SPRINGS, Texas (AP) - President Donald Trump says the mass shooting at a Texas church is the result of a "mental health problem at the highest level."

Speaking at an event with the Japanese prime minister in Tokyo on Monday, Trump described the gunman as a "very deranged individual."

A man dressed in black tactical-style gear and armed with an assault rifle opened fire inside a church in a small South Texas community on Sunday, killing 26 people and wounding at least 16 others in what the governor called the deadliest mass shooting in the state's history. The dead ranged in age from 5 to 72 years old.

Officials identified the shooter to The Associated Press as Devin Kelley.

The U.S. official said Kelley lived in a San Antonio suburb and didn't appear to be linked to organized terrorist groups. Investigators were looking at social media posts Kelley made in the days before Sunday's attack, including one that appeared to show an AR-15 semiautomatic weapon.

Authorities have not yet determined a motive for the shooting, and have not broached the topic of the gunman's mental health.

Stefanek says Kelley was court-martialed on one count of assault on his spouse and another count of assault on their child. He received a bad conduct discharge, 12 months' confinement and a reduction in rank.

Kelley was court-martialed in 2012 and discharged two years later.

(Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

 

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