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Local Man Identified As North Texas Church Gunman

Keith Thomas Kinnunen pictured in a June 16, 2015 photo provided by the River Oaks Police Department.
River Oaks Police Dept.
/
Via Associated Press
Keith Thomas Kinnunen pictured in a June 16, 2015 photo provided by the River Oaks Police Department.

Authorities have identified the gunman in Sunday's  suburban Fort Worth church shooting as 43-year-old Keith Thomas Kinnunen of River Oaks, a small city near Fort Worth. Police have not determined a motive for the shooting. 

Just before 11 a.m. Sunday, Kinnunen opened fire on two people during service at the West Freeway Church of Christ in White Settlement, just west of Fort Worth. Authorities said two men, volunteer members of the church's security team, returned fire killing him.

The two people he shot died. Family members and the Texas Department of Public Safety have identified the two victims who died as 64-year-old  Anton Wallace, of Fort Worth and 67-year-old  Richard White, of River Oaks.

Kinnunen had a criminal record. He was charged with illegal possession of a shotgun in New Jersey in 2016. Records indicate he faced charges in Oklahoma for arson in 2012, and aggravated assault and battery in 2011. He was charged with assault with a deadly weapon in Tarrant County in 2009.

A livestream video from the church shows at least a half-dozen people in the congregation pulling out guns as he was taken down.

Hood County Commissioner candidate Jack Wilson has come forward as the church member who shot him.

Jack Wilson
Credit Jack Wilson's county commissioner campaign Facebook page
Jack Wilson

Wilson posted a  message on Facebook thanking people for their thoughts and prayers, and expressing sadness for the loss of the two men killed by the shooter.

“The events at West Freeway Church of Christ put me in a position that I would hope no one would have to be in, but evil exists and I had to take out an active shooter in church,” Wilson said in the post.

Hood County, where Wilson is running for commissioner, is southwest of Fort Worth. The message was posted on his campaign Facebook page. His Facebook bio says he's a former Hood County reserve deputy and a firearms instructor.

Wilson told the Associated Press the entire confrontation was over in no more than six seconds. He said initially the panic from people in the congregation prevented him from getting a clear shot. 

“I had to wait about half a second, or a second, to get my shot," Wilson said. "I fired one round. The subject went down.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=THO5zuMhVa0

Wilson said the church's security team was suspicious of the shooter as soon as he entered the church, wearing a fake beard, wig, hat and long coat. More than 240 people were in the church during the attack. 

This is a developing story.

Updated 8:51 p.m.

A previous verison of this story incorrectly spelled Anton Wallace's name.

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Gabrielle Jones has a passion for serving diverse audiences. She is the Digital News Editor at KERA in Dallas, Texas. Previously she worked at Richmond, Virginia's PBS and NPR affiliate, VPM. Jones joined VPM in 2015 and worked in a variety of roles in the fundraising, digital and news departments. Jones completed her undergraduate work in English and Mass Communications at North Carolina Central University in Durham, N.C., where she finished her bachelor's degree in just three years. She earned her master’s degree in Journalism and Public Affairs from American University. She specializes in helping teams craft and implement digital content and engagement strategies.
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