Sunday, December 29, 2019

IN MEMORY OF RICHARD WHITE AND TONY WALLACE – THE TWO MARTYRS OF WHITE SETTLEMENT CHURCH SHOOTING (DECEMBER 29, 2019)


            We, the comrades of Unit 1012: The VFFDP, send our utmost condolences to the loved ones the two victims of the White Settlement Church Shooting, Richard White and Tony Wallace. We will not forget them.

Tony Wallace and Richard White, the two Victims Of White Settlement Church Shooting


            Here is our prayer for them:

ALMIGHTY God, with whom do live the spirits of them that depart hence in the Lord, and with whom the souls of the faithful, after they are delivered from the burden of the flesh, are in joy and felicity: We give thee hearty thanks, for that it hath pleased thee to deliver this our brother out of the miseries of this sinful world; beseeching thee that it may please thee, of thy gracious goodness, shortly to accomplish the number of thine elect, and to hasten thy kingdom; that we, with all those that are departed in the true faith of thy holy Name, may have our perfect consummation and bliss, both in body and soul, in thy eternal and everlasting glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.



White Settlement shooting victims were church deacon, security team member
By Dan Godwin and Terrance Friday

WHITE SETTLEMENT, Texas - Sunday’s shooting at the West Freeway Church of Christ left two innocent people dead.

Tony Wallace, 64, was a deacon at the church and had just handed out communion at the time of the shooting. Richard White was one of the two security guards and was drawing his weapon when he was hit.

Wallace leaves behind an extended family, who said he was a generous man with a great sense of humor.

“My dad always says just forgive so we are trying to forgive and just forgive,” said Sarah Wallace, Tony’s daughter.

Wallace was a registered nurse who hardly ever missed a service, his family said. Wallace was holding a communion plate when he was targeted by the gunman, Keith Kinnunen.

“We just found out his name and I’m like, did you have family? Did you have anything because we would’ve been there for you. My dad would’ve been there for you. My dad would’ve done anything for him,” Sarah said.

News quickly spread on Sunday about what happened, devastating a family just days after Christmas.

“When she called me yesterday it hit me hard,” said Lindsey Wallace, Tony’s niece. “My dad is feeling it. It’s his little brother. So I’m just trying to be strong for him and for her.”

Chris Lester turns 13 next week, but he'll celebrate his birthday without his granddad. The seventh grader has tried to comfort his mom and aunt.

“I just wish he was here right now,” Lester said. “He taught me everything so I’m going to miss him being here.”

The family is thankful for the security team who stopped what could've been further violence. They wonder what prompted the gunman to act with such disregard.

"I just hope his family… I don’t know why I keep wishing his family would reach out and apologize for him,” Sarah said.

White was one of the security guards who responded to the shooting. He was just a few feet away from the gunman when he was hit.

"He was trying to do what he needed to do to protect the rest of us," church elder, Mike Tinius, told the Associated Press.

Misty White, Richard’s daughter-in-law, called him a “true hero” in a Facebook post. The family respectfully declined on-camera interviews.

“You were taken from us yesterday in a senseless act of violence. You stood up against evil and sacrificed your life. Many lives were saved because of your actions. You have always been a hero to us but the whole world is seeing you as a hero now. We love you, we miss you, we are heartbroken,” she wrote.

Britt Farmer, the church’s lead minister, praised White on Monday.

“Preachers don't have many best friends. If you've never been a preacher you don't understand that. But he was my best friend and he died saving lives. I love Richard White,” Farmer said.

The Texas Department of Public Safety had high praise for the courageous volunteers who responded to the attack.

“The true heroes in this are the people who were sitting in those pews today and responded -- the immediate responders," said Texas DPS Regional Director Jeoff Williams.

'Stood up against evil': Relatives remember 2 men killed in church shooting

The shooter, 43-year-old Keith Thomas Kinnunen, had a criminal record, public records show. 

Author: Jason Wheeler, Matt Howerton, Charlotte Huffman
Published: 5:03 PM CST December 30, 2019
Updated: 6:45 PM CST December 30, 2019 

Authorities have identified the gunman and two people killed during a shooting Sunday morning at a White Settlement church. 

Two congregants — 67-year-old Richard White of River Oaks and 64-year-old Tony Wallace of Fort Worth — were shot and killed by 43-year-old Keith Thomas Kinnunen, according to Texas Department of Public Safety officials. 

Kinnunen was shot and killed by Jack Wilson, who was an armed church member acting as security. 

Wilson said he and others were watching Kinnunen when he entered the church because he was wearing a wig and a fake beard. 

The service at West Freeway Church of Christ was being live-streamed online, showing the moments before, during and after the shooting. The church's video was later removed. 

Kinnunen is seen standing up and appears to say something to one of the men before he pulls a shotgun from his coat. Wilson said White was pulling out his gun when Kinnunen shot him. 
The shooter then turned the gun on Wallace, Wilson said. 

Wilson said he couldn't shoot back right away because people were starting to stand up. 
"About a second later had a clear shot, then I took the shot," Wilson said. 

'Liked to help people'

One of those killed was a registered nurse. 

Wallace joined the church in 2007. He was a deacon and a nurse who worked at Texas Health Resources, his family said. 

"He just really liked to help people," said daughter Sarah. 

He was known for going to homes and leading prayer when people were ill. 

His grandchildren and another daughter were with him Sunday at church. His daughter climbed over pews to get to him after the shooting. 

"She was just like, 'You're going to make it, we love you,'" Sarah said of her sister. "And he was telling her, 'I just need oxygen. I just need oxygen.'"

Wallace was trying to tell his family how to treat him. He had put his arm up to protect himself. His family said the shot struck his lungs. 

The family said the church was welcoming to everyone. 

Wallace's 12-year-old grandson, Chris, said he saw the shooter walk into the church. He recalled his aunt telling his cousin not to make fun of his appearance. 

"I knew he wasn't a real person because when he came in at first he was like, he looked homeless and he looked like he was planning something," Chris said "And he had a big coat on, like a fake beard, everything

The Wallace family is still grappling with their loss but is welcoming people to come over. 

"We just opened our house. We told everybody, 'If you want to come, it's totally fine,'" Sarah said. "He would want our door open, so we keep our door open." 

'Stood up against evil'

White was among the armed congregants at the church who was watching Kinnunen before the shooting. 

His family wrote on Facebook that his life was taken in a "senseless act of violence." 

"You stood up against evil and sacrificed your life," wrote his daughter-in-law Misty York White. "Many lives were saved because of your actions." 

Misty York White wrote that the family has always seen White as a hero but now everyone knows. 

In an official statement released by the family on Facebook, White was described as "an Eagle Scout, lover of adventure, and all things outdoors." The family also identified him as devoted member of the church and an active volunteer on the security team.

"Rich constantly put others first and was always willing to help with a smile on his face," the Facebook post read. 

White had read scripture before communion. The shooting occurred during communion. 

Alleged shooter

Kinnunen had a criminal record, public records show.

He was arrested in Oklahoma in 2011 on a domestic violence charge and again in 2012 on a charge of arson, according to officials in Grady County.

The FBI was seen visiting residential and commercial locations Monday in Fort Worth, White Settlement and River Oaks to better understand what motivated Kinnunen to open fire on the West Freeway Church of Christ congregation.

While his motive remains unclear, WFAA is learning more about Kinnunen's troubled past.
"The shooter has had multiple contacts with law enforcement in the past but he was not on any sort of watch list," said Matthew DeSarno with the FBI in Dallas.

The 43-year-old has roots in River Oaks but DeSarno described him as "relatively transient."
 Public records show Kinnunen's criminal record spans from Tarrant County to Oklahoma, New Jersey, and Arizona.

He was arrested in Oklahoma in 2011 on a domestic violence charge and again in 2012 on a charge of arson, according to officials in Grady County.

In 2013, his ex-wife filed a protective order against him.

Also in 2013, an Oklahoma court found Kinnunen mentally incompetent to stand trial and ordered an evaluation by the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services.

According to records from the Pima County Sheriff's Department and the Tucson Police Department, Kinnunen was arrested in 2010 for theft and in 2011 for disorderly conduct.

In Tarrant County, Kinnunen's arrest record includes a 2009 charge of aggravated assault and a 2013 charge for theft of property between $50 and $500.

He was also arrested in 2016 in New Jersey on a charge of unlawful possession of a weapon, according to authorities in Linden, N.J.

News reports showed Kinnunen was found near a refinery with a shotgun. 

He told police he was homeless and likes to take pictures of "interesting sites," reported My Central Jersey.  


Daughter of Deacon Shot and Killed During Church Service: ‘You Just Wonder Why’
“I ran toward my dad and the last thing I remember is him asking for oxygen, and I was just holding him, telling him I loved him and that he was going to make it"
By Maria Guerrero 5:04 pm on December 30, 2019

The daughter of one of two victims murdered Sunday morning at West Freeway Church of Christ is speaking out.

“You don’t think it’s going to hit home, and the fact that it hit our home and someone that supports us and loves us and is our dad [is gone], that’s what hurts the most,” Tiffany Wallace said.

Wallace not only lost her father, Anton “Tony” Wallace, Sunday morning, but the 64-year-old was taken just feet from her and in their house of worship.

“It just happened so fast,” she said.

Wallace was a husband, father, grandfather and a registered nurse. He was also a deacon and lifelong member of West Freeway Church of Christ.

Wallace said her dad had just given out communion in the back of the church when she noticed a man she’d never seen before approach him.

“The guy just stood up from the pew, turned toward my dad and I guess he shot at the security guard,” she said.

Through the shots and chaos that ensued, she realized her dad had been hit.

“I ran toward my dad and the last thing I remember is him asking for oxygen, and I was just holding him, telling him I loved him and that he was going to make it,” Wallace said.

He was rushed to the hospital but succumbed to his injury.

“You just wonder why. How can someone so evil -- the devil -- step into the church and do this?” she said.

With few answers, the family can only remember the man who was steadfast in his faith and family.

“He was amazing. He was a godly person, and even when we talked about going to heaven he always said, 'I’m always prepared,'" she said. “But you never thought this would happen.”

Yet even in her grief, the 32-year-old has found that forgiveness exists.

“I forgive him [the gunman], and that’s the hardest thing to say,” she said.

Wallace has expressed gratitude for the armed church member who also serves as a security guard for the parish for bringing down the gunman.

“He is a hero to me,” she said. “I’m just glad everybody’s OK. I know my dad is up there with his sister, his parents, in a wonderful place. Not in pain anymore … He’s just in peace now. I know he’s in good hands.”

Wallace also wanted to thank a nurse who was present and ran to help the injured and the entire congregation for their support and prayers.


   




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