The White Settlement church shooting took place on Sunday, December 29, 2019, at West Freeway Church of Christ in White Settlement, Texas, when a gunman stood up during communion and opened fire with a shotgun, killing two congregants before a member of the church’s volunteer security team shot and killed him. The entire attack lasted roughly six seconds and was captured on the church’s livestream.
What Happened During the Service
Between 240 and 280 people were observing communion that morning when Keith Thomas Kinnunen, 43, stood up from a back pew.1ABC7 News. Texas Church Shooting Suspect Identified as Keith Thomas Kinnunen He had entered the church in a wig and fake beard, with a short-barreled 12-gauge shotgun with a pistol grip concealed under a long coat.2PBS NewsHour. Firearms Instructor Took Out Gunman at Texas Church Service The security team had already noticed him acting suspiciously when he arrived.3Police1. Firearms Instructor Took Out Gunman at Texas Church Service
Kinnunen opened fire. Anton “Tony” Wallace, a 64-year-old deacon, was struck while holding a communion tray. Richard White, 67, a volunteer on the church’s security team, was shot while drawing his own weapon just feet from the gunman.4FOX 5 NY. White Settlement Shooting Victims Were Church Deacon, Security Team Member Both men died.
Jack Wilson, the 71-year-old head of the security team, drew his handgun. He later said he held his shot for a beat to get a clear line of fire that would not endanger anyone in the pews, then fired a single round that struck Kinnunen in the head and killed him. Wilson kicked the shotgun away from Kinnunen’s body. Five or six other armed members of the volunteer team had also drawn their weapons by that point.2PBS NewsHour. Firearms Instructor Took Out Gunman at Texas Church Service
The service was being broadcast on the church’s livestream, and the footage captured the full sequence: the gunman standing, the shots, the congregation ducking behind pews, and Wilson’s response.1ABC7 News. Texas Church Shooting Suspect Identified as Keith Thomas Kinnunen
Who the Gunman Was
Kinnunen lived in nearby River Oaks, Texas, and had worked as a licensed landscape irrigator. People who knew him described him as “relatively transient.” His adult life carried a string of criminal charges across multiple states: aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in Texas in 2009, theft in 2013, aggravated assault and battery in Oklahoma in 2011 for breaking a man’s nose, an arson charge for allegedly setting a cotton field on fire, and a 2016 illegal weapon possession charge in New Jersey after police found him near an oil refinery with a 12-gauge shotgun and ammunition wrapped in plastic.5NBC DFW. River Oaks Man Identified as Shooter in White Settlement Church
One ex-wife, Angela Holloway, told reporters Kinnunen was “mentally ill” and that the last time he spoke to the family “he just wasn’t in his right mind.” Another ex-wife, Cindy Glasgow-Voegel, described him in a 2012 court filing as a “violent, paranoid person” and a “religious fanatic” who claimed to be “battling a demon,” and she filed a protective order against him.5NBC DFW. River Oaks Man Identified as Shooter in White Settlement Church
Kinnunen had visited the church several times before the attack. Members had given him food, but Minister Britt Farmer said he grew angry when they would not give him money.6FOX 5 NY. Gunman Who Killed 2 During White Settlement Church Service Identified No official motive was ever publicly announced. The ATF confirmed it traced the shotgun but, as of early 2020, had not disclosed how Kinnunen obtained it, citing an ongoing investigation. Reporting noted that many of his prior assault and arson charges had been prosecuted as misdemeanors rather than felonies, which may have allowed him to pass a background check, and that Texas law permits private gun sales without one.7Fort Worth Star-Telegram. ATF Traced Shotgun Used in White Settlement Church Shooting
The Two Men Who Died
Tony Wallace had been a deacon at West Freeway for years. He worked as a nurse, first at Cook Children’s Medical Center and later at the Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital hemodialysis unit in Fort Worth. He was a father of two and grandfather of four, and his family said his three great loves were “God, his family and nursing.”8KERA News. Meet the Two Church Members Who Lost Their Lives in White Settlement Shooting9Christian Chronicle. He Died in the House of the Lord Serving
Richard White was a close friend of Minister Farmer and a volunteer on the church’s security team. His family said he “constantly put others first,” and Farmer said he “died saving lives.”8KERA News. Meet the Two Church Members Who Lost Their Lives in White Settlement Shooting More than 650 people attended his funeral at Western Hills Church of Christ in Fort Worth on January 2, 2020, including Governor Greg Abbott. His brother, Jay White, told mourners, “In those six seconds, lives were lost. Lives were saved. And this time, good triumphed over evil.”10Religion Unplugged. Church Shooting Victim Remembered: Hero Sacrificed His Life to Save Many
Jack Wilson and the Security Team
Wilson had been a firearms instructor since 1995, served six years in the Army National Guard, and was a former reserve deputy for the Hood County Sheriff’s Office. He helped set up the church’s volunteer security team about 18 months before the shooting, prompted by concerns about crime in the area. On a typical Sunday, 25 to 30 members of the congregation carried concealed handguns.2PBS NewsHour. Firearms Instructor Took Out Gunman at Texas Church Service11Christian Chronicle. Texas Church Grieves, Prays, Sings After Deadly Shooting
Wilson later estimated the confrontation lasted four to six seconds and said that had he not fired when he did, more people would likely have been killed.12NPR. Grand Jury Declines to Indict Church Security Guard Who Killed Gunman in Texas On January 13, 2020, Governor Abbott awarded him the Governor’s Medal of Courage, the highest civilian honor in Texas, at a ceremony at the Governor’s Mansion in Austin.13Office of the Texas Governor. Governor Abbott Presents Governor’s Medal of Courage to West Freeway Church of Christ Hero Jack Wilson
Why the Armed Volunteers Were Legal
The volunteer security team at West Freeway existed because of two recent Texas laws, both passed in the shadow of the November 2017 massacre at First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, where a gunman killed 26 people.
Senate Bill 2065, signed by Governor Abbott and effective September 1, 2017, waived the state fees churches had previously paid to maintain licensed private security forces. Volunteer security team members needed only to be legally permitted to carry a firearm; they did not have to obtain separate private-security licensing or wear uniforms or badges.14Office of the Lt. Governor of Texas. Lt. Governor Patrick Statement on AG Opinion on Guns and Security in Texas Churches15NBC DFW. New Law Will Soon Allow Churches to Provide Their Own Armed Security Teams Senate Bill 535, effective September 1, 2019, clarified that licensed handgun holders could carry in places of worship the same way they could on any other private property, unless the church explicitly posted signs prohibiting firearms.16Texas State Law Library. Gun Laws – Religious Property
Former state Representative Matt Rinaldi told the Texas Tribune that without the 2017 law, the armed volunteers at West Freeway would not have been able to legally organize as a security team.17Texas Tribune. Texas Churches Arming Volunteer Security After White Settlement
The Grand Jury Decision
On September 28, 2020, a Tarrant County grand jury declined to indict Wilson. Tim Rodgers, the chief prosecutor for the county’s Law Enforcement Incident team, said Wilson was “absolutely justified” under Texas law, which allows a bystander who witnesses someone placing others at risk of serious injury or death to use deadly force. Rodgers added that the investigation and review of the case were complete.18NBC DFW. Tarrant County Grand Jury No-Bills Man Who Took Down Church Gunman19KERA News. Grand Jury: No Action Against Killer of White Settlement Church Shooter
What Happened to the Church
About 30 hours after the shooting, a standing-room-only crowd gathered in the church’s fellowship hall for a candlelit vigil. Minister Farmer told the group, “What happened yesterday is not something that we will ever be able to explain.”11Christian Chronicle. Texas Church Grieves, Prays, Sings After Deadly Shooting
Recovery was slow. The sanctuary needed repairs, and the COVID-19 pandemic kept the congregation from gathering for months. By late 2020, the church had resumed in-person Sunday services while continuing to livestream them, and it was fielding requests from congregations around the world seeking advice on setting up their own security programs.20NBC DFW. White Settlement Church Continues to Heal One Year After Tragic Shooting Training through organizations like the National Organization for Church Security and Safety Management ran roughly $800 per person, including the state licensing fee.17Texas Tribune. Texas Churches Arming Volunteer Security After White Settlement