A Tarrant County grand jury declined to indict a church security officer who shot a man who opened fire and killed two parishioners in 2019 at West Freeway Church of Christ in White Settlement.
Police say that Keith Thomas Kinnunen attended part of the service on Dec. 29, 2019, before he killed two people: 67-year-old Richard White of River Oaks and 64-year-old Tony Wallace of Fort Worth.
Jack Wilson was the head of the volunteer security team for the church and fired one shot at Kinnunen, killing him.
There were approximately 262 congregants attending church. The service was also live-streamed, which captured the shooting.
Officials with the FBI said the suspected shooter had been investigated by law enforcement agencies before.
Tim Rodgers, chief prosecutor at the Tarrant County Criminal District Attorney's Office, said the grand jury made the right decision based on the law enforcement investigation and review of the case.
“Texas law allows an individual, when they witness somebody placing others at risk of serious bodily injury or death, to act with deadly force to protect the other individuals," Rodgers said in a statement. "Mr. Wilson did just that. He did it responsibly and, as a result, he was justified under the law in his actions."
A live stream of the worship service showed a person wearing a large coat stand up and then pull out what appears to be a shotgun as communion was finishing. The shooter appears to fire twice before another person appears to shoot back.
The shooting lasted about six seconds, the live stream showed.
Many people in the congregation ducked under church pews while others rushed toward the shooter, holding up handguns, the video shows.
A church leader then told people to quiet down and be seated.
"Everything is under control. Our security team did everything they needed to do," the person said.
He urged everyone to stay calm and file out of the sanctuary. In the video, he said one church member was harmed.
In the chaos after the shooting, church members can be heard screaming and crying.
One person yelled, "I love you daddy."
A new Texas law allowing worshippers to carry guns in religious locations went into effect just months before the shooting.
Senior minister Britt Farmer survived the incident and addressed the media during a Sunday night news conference that day.
"We lost two great men today, but it could’ve been a lot worse," he said. "I am thankful that our government has allowed us the opportunity to protect ourselves."
