Flags to be lowered to half-staff after deadly church shooting

Texas Governor Greg Abbott has issued an order for Texas flags across the state to be lowered to half-staff to honor those lost in the deadly church shooting in Sutherland Springs, Texas.

Multiple people were killed and wounded after a man opened fire inside of a Baptist church.

According to Abbott, flags should remain at half-mast through Thursday, November 9, 2017.

"There are no words to describe the pure evil that we witnessed in Sutherland Springs today," said Governor Abbott. "Our hearts are heavy at the anguish in this small town, but in time of tragedy, we see the very best of Texas. May God comfort those who've lost a loved one, and may God heal the hurt in our communities."

During a press conference, Freeman Martin, the regional director of the Texas Department of Public Safety, said that twenty-six people had been killed and twenty others had been injured.

The ages of the dead range from five-years-old to seventy-two.

The shooting happened in Sutherland Springs, which is 30 miles southeast of San Antonio.

The shooter has been identified as 26-year-old Devin Kelley of New Braunfels, Texas. Investigators are looking at social media posts Kelley may have made in the days before Sunday's attack, including one that appeared to show an AR-15 semiautomatic weapon.

According to authorities, the shooter is now dead. The gunman fled in a vehicle after the attack and was killed, either by a self-inflicted wound or during a confrontation with police.

Authorities said a civilian with a gun confronted the attacker and chased him away.

The gunman was later found dead in his vehicle along with several weapons.