A San Antonio woman who brought her two children along as she smuggled more than 100 pounds of methamphetamine to the Alamo City has been sentenced to more than eight years in prison. Devin Kelley served as a low-ranking airman in a logistics readiness unit. Armed with a Ruger AR-556 assault rifle and dressed in black tactical gear, Kelley opened fire during the churchs morning worship, killing at least 26 people and injuring 20 more. Michelle Shields Devin Kelleys mother-in-law, Pam Baker Cocker: Singer Joe Cockers Wife, Melinda Trucks Allman Brothers Butch Trucks Wife, Armstead Edwards: Patti LaBelles Ex- Husband, Juli Briskman Fired for Flipping Off Pres. Kelsey Bradshaw is a digital reporter for mySA. "Devin was sick. Home. }Customer Service. He grew more reclusive. In 2012, Devin was court-martialed for fracturing his stepson's skull and assaulting his then-wife, a conviction that led to his bad conduct discharge from the Air Force. After Sundays shooting, friends from New Braunfels, Texas, where he went to high school, expressed shock, remembering how Kelley was a friendly, if awkward, teenager who in recent years grew so dark that many unfriended him on Facebook. On her key ring she keeps a pocketknife engraved with his name. Fellow students recall Kelley as an introvert who kept mostly to himself and had an ever-changing array of friends. Some of those who grew up with Devin Kelley in this sprawling city northeast of San Antonio had seen him change over the years once just an outsider, he suddenly seemed hostile and argumentative. Danielle admits their relationship wasn't healthy, but she didn't want to go into detail. I will tell you that Michelle told me last Tuesday (Oct. 31) they were so excited because he voluntarily took the grandchildren his children to the church for the fall festival, said Tambria Read, chair of the Sutherland Springs Historical Museum and a teacher at Floresville High School. At first, the worshipers inside thought they were hearing fireworks. Records also show he married Danielle Lee Shields, who also goes by the name Danielle Brassfield. Danielle Shields-Kelley is the wife of Devin Patrick Kelley, who was identified as the shooter who walked into the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas, on Sunday and killed at least 26 people while wounding about 20 more. April 4, 2014: Devin Kelley, who was 23 years old at this point, married 19-year-old Danielle Shields in Comal County, Texas. While other friends shared their dreams with one other, Devin and Danielle shared their hardships. He was on speakerphone with Danielle and his parents. (AP/AAP) Devin and Danielle married in April 2014 . My dogs, they would be outside, and we would hear, Bim-bam, bim-bam, bim-bam, bim-bam, he said. Police say a friend alerted authorities that Danielle had texted to say she was being abused by her boyfriend and that subsequent texts back to her later went unanswered. But he wasnt always a psychopath though, a longtime friend, Courtney Kleiber, posted on Facebook on Sunday. But he always apologized, and she'd eventually relent. First responders work at the rear of the First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs in response to a fatal shooting, Nov. 5, 2017, in Sutherland Springs, Texas. The gunman who killed at least 26 people in a small Texas church Sunday has been identified as 26-year-old Devin Kelley, CBS News and the New York Times reported. he shrieked, firing rapidly. He lost who he was. Roughly four months later, Kelley was charged with cruelty to animals while living in an RV park in Colorado Springs, reports the Times. And they thought Oh this is good, this is progress. And then this happened.. Its rattlesnake season in Texas. Out here, people tend to keep to themselves, said Tim Daughtrey, who cuts cedar for clients in the area, and lives in walking distance from Kelleys home. Johnny Langendorff, who chased the church gunman, waits to be picked up from the scene where Devin Kelley was found dead in Guadalupe County, Texas, on Sunday. While stationed at Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico in 2012, Kelley assaulted his stepson so severely he fractured his skull and also attacked his wife, Tessa. He was diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, school records show. "I'm used to seeing Karla smiling, getting all excited. The only thing anyone seemed to notice was that he didnt talk much. He said he has launched an internal review into why the case wasnt pursued while Kelley was in Colorado or when he later returned to Texas. Abcarian: Mask mandates? They connected over their inability to connect with the rest of the world. I didn't want to be a single mom. To be completely honest, Im really not surprised this happened, and I dont think anyone who knew him is very surprised either.. After killing at least 26 people in the church, Kelley was found dead in his car. #DanielleLeeShields #DevinKelley #SutherlandSprings #MichelleShields. Click Manage settings for more information and to manage your choices. She admired Karla and Bryan Holcombe's loving relationship. He did his rounds every hour like he was supposed to do.. Greg Abbott told ABCs Good Morning America. He was a very deranged individual, he said. Sometimes Danielle would tell Michelle about the mental and physical abuse he inflicted, Michelle said. "Now, going back and looking at it, the things he said then it was all messed up.". Twenty-six crosses stand in the small town of Sutherland Springs in memory of those killed Sunday when a gunman burst into the church. He also accumulated more than a dozen magazines, each with a capacity of 30 bullets. Danielle said she was sexually abused by a male relative, but she declined to give details, citing an ongoing court case. An older Facebook page for Danielle reveals that she resided in Sutherland Springs. He just abandoned his post with everybody (customers) still here.. The person, who did not want to be identified, stated: [Danielles] family didnt approve of him because of his lack of respect for everyone he encounteredhe was awful to be around. "It's difficult because it's not the same," she said. Danielle Shields Kelley: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know, Copyright 2023 Heavy, Inc. All rights reserved. Thats the only negative thing I could say that he did while he was here. Kelley enlisted in the Air Force in January 2010 and obtained a marriage license in April 2011 to wed Tessa K. Loge, now Tessa Brennaman. 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 Sunday. "It was a lot to bear, and I didn't want to have to do it.". "I built up a lot of stuff and I had a lot of issues from it. I've killed so many people - so, so many people,'" Danielle said. Those records also indicate that the shooters family was from the same town. Public records show that Kelley lived at Holloman Air Force Base New Mexico. Devin told Danielle he loved her. A few months later, he registered to vote in Colorado Springs, Colorado a city with several Air Force bases listing his address as parking space 60 at the Fountain Creek RV Park. And he said to Michael: "I'll be right back.". The massacre killed 25 churchgoers, including a pregnant woman and seven of her family members, as well as Danielles grandmother. The killing spree had ended outside the church, in a shootout with Stephen Willeford, a neighbor who had heard the gunfire and ran out barefoot with an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle. Open Menu. "I was like 'Oh man, this guy's cute. Kelley seemed enamored with the weapon. He'd wink at her flirtatiously. Danielle watched it happen and described it as an "open-handed spanking.". But she wrote, Over the years we all saw him change into something that he wasnt. On the morning of Sunday, Nov. 5, Devin Kelley asked his wife Danielle to make him a light breakfast, . Danielle said they complemented each other that way. Danielle Shields (Teacher) Wife/Spouse: Name Not Known (Divorced - 1st wife) Danielle Shields (Teacher - 2nd wife) Marriage Date: April 4, 2014 (with Danielle Shields) Children: CBS News has learned Kelley has a wife named Danielle Lee Shields. The atrocity is the largest mass shooting in Texas history. Heres what you need to know. He was a family person. Devin's descent into madness accelerated in the six months before the massacre. Michelle's daughter Danielle Lee Shields was married to Devin Kelley, who opened fire at First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, killing 26 people and injuring more before killing himself. According to a profile on Indeed.com, Shields was a teacher for toddlers at First Baptist of Sutherland Springs from June of 2009 to March of 2013. Some said they had blocked him on Facebook after receiving inappropriate notes or tiring of antagonistic posts. Law enforcement officers gather in front of the First Baptist Church on Sunday. "I just shot up the Sutherland Springs church," he said. Danielle Shields-Kelley is the wife of Devin Patrick Kelley, who was identified as the shooter who walked into the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas, on Sunday and killed. Guest Chuck Jackson said they received a surly reception from Kelley, who checked them in upon their arrival late on Oct. 28. On the companys website, Michael Kelley wrote that he and his high school sweetheart moved to the countryside in 1993 to raise their children, of whom Devin was the middle of three. FacebookDanielle Shields is seen happy and smiling in this photo. He wasnt always a psychopath, Courtney Kleiber, a classmate of Kelleys at New Braunfels High School, wrote on Facebook. And then they got his next call. They married April 4, 2014, when she was 19 and he was 23. Devin Kelley, 26, died by suicide after the shooting, one of the deadliest in modern U.S. history. Social media accounts show a smiling, happy woman who dotes on her children and friends. The congregants screamed in terror. Part of HuffPost News. It bore a sign: No trespassing.. "Even though he went off and ruined more people's lives than I could ever imagine." In addition to the home, the property, which the family bought in 1993, includes a garage and porch that was built in 1994. The sheriff revealed on November 6 that Danielles parents, despite their ties to the church, were not there when the shooting unfolded. A LinkedIn account appearing to belong to Kelley says he served in the U.S. Air Force from his high-school graduation in 2009 until 2013. We lost our 14-year-old daughter today and many friends.. She could not be reached for comment. I dont want our lives, our grandchildrens lives, destroyed by this media circus, added Kelley, whose property off FM 2722 was staked out by 20 vehicles from various media the morning after the shooting. A source close to the family told Heavy that Danielle and her children are safe following the attack. 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Before a 26-year-old gunman entered a rural Texas church with a ballistic vest and a military-style rifle, killing at least 26 people Sunday, he was convicted of assaulting his wife and breaking his infant stepsons skull. Nobody truly knows somebody, Danielle told the paper. He wanted to talk about atheism and guns. Or little factors that say 'You're not the same person,'" she said. It wasnt the last time deputies were sent there. I am so sorry for the victims in Texas.. SubscribeReal news. The page also said Shields was once a coach for Special Olympics and a behavioral leader in the past, and that she volunteered with the elderly. A Facebook post on October 29 shows an assault rifle with the caption: "She's a bad b**ch.". She said Devin told her about being bullied as a child. After the shooting, he called his parents and told them to go to his house. They told him the same. . (Lisa Krantz | San Antonio Express-News). Out of respect for their grief, Danielle didn't attend their funerals. His family lived a comfortable, upper-middle-class life, with his father running a software company that specializes in billings. Devin Kelley and Danielle Lee Shields were married April 4, 2014, in Comal County. (Lisa Krantz | San Antonio Express-News). "I did pick him over her," Danielle said. When the world was unfair, they assured each other that it wasn't their fault. Would love your thoughts, please comment. He never wanted to leave the apartment. Kelley dropped off the grid after graduating, according to another acquaintance, who said he reappeared a year ago on social media, friending many of his former high school classmates. They watched his black boots move up and down the sanctuary as bodies fell. Six months before the massacre, while living in Sutherland Springs, about 30 miles (50 kilometers) southeast of San Antonio, Devin grew more depressed, his temper grew shorter, and he grew less tolerant, she said. Real trust. Michelle adopted Danielle through Child Protective Services when she was 4 years old. ", Case Leal, 8, of La Vernia, looks at stones, each etched with the name of one of the 26 victims, along one side of First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs on May 10, 2018. When they did, he said, they were misdirected by Kelley, who patrolled the resort in a small SUV. He developed a fatalistic attitude. A police official told the Daily Beast that it is "assumed" that the rifle Kelley used in the church massacre was the same on featured on Facebook. Kelleys in-laws had attended the First Baptist Church in the past, though they were not there on the day of the shooting, officials said. Some Lesser Known Facts About Devin Kelley Devin started his career by joining the Logistics Readiness at Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico from 2010. . When she persuaded him to attend church services, including at First Baptist, he would laugh during sermons. He was abusing his anxiety medication, Danielle said. "You can live with that person and love that person for years, and you still cannot truly know that person because you can"t know their inner thoughts and feelings.". Michelle Shields, Danielle's mother, said in an interview earlier this year that Devin was . Neighbors along FM 2722 reported this week that the sound of gunshots was common in recent weeks, coming from the direction of the Kelley property, sometimes for hours. His. Greg Abbott embraces a woman during a candlelight vigil for the victims of the mass shooting. Danielle watched her husband closely. He lost touch of reality," Danielle said. It is unclear whether his conviction would have barred him from purchasing a gun. Neighbors said they didnt know the Kelleys. Tired of everything. You just mind your own business.. Parents and grandparents shielded their children. "He lost the touch of reality.". While not a lot of information has been revealed about Danielle, we do know that the two were married and had two children together. At the time of Sundays shooting, Kelley had worked five weeks at another nighttime security job at Summit Vacation Resort and RV park, a pastoral spot near the Guadalupe River, about 10 miles from his parents house. His wife needed help, he said. "I don't know if she's finally coming around to it, admitting to it, or if she's just saying it because she thinks that's what I want to hear her say," Michelle said. And they said the same. Danielle Kelley told the newspaper she would defend Devin Kelley if Shields tried to intervene. Mona Rodriguez comforts her 12-year-old son, J Anthony Hernandez, during a Sunday night vigil for the victims killed at the First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs. "People thought he was really weird, and this awful person, but I could never see that in him," Danielle said. Powered by. The 26-year-old man officials have identified as the gunman in a mass shooting at a. In the weeks following the shooting, Danielle said she couldn't bear to look at her. Send her tips atsfosterfrau@express-news.net. He and Danielle briefly lived in Colorado. And it took the best of him," Danielle said. Editor's note: This story was being written as new information and reports became available. Fugitive in $18 million COVID fraud scheme extradited to U.S. We had a lot of good times together. Law enforcement officers work a barricade near the First Baptist Church on Sunday. 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