Man Who Shot Texas Church Shooter Receives Medal of Courage

The armed churchgoer who stopped a gunman who fatally shot two people in a White Settlement church last month will receive the state's highest honor at the governor's mansion on Monday. Jack Wilson, the head of a volunteer security team at West Freeway Church of Christ in White Settlement, took out an armed man who killed two men as services began on Sunday, Dec. 29. Wilson will be awarded the Governor's Medal of Courage, the state's highest civilian honor, which is bestowed upon a person who displays, "great acts of heroism by risking their own safety to save another's life."

NTD Newsroom

Published: 1/11/2020, 10:41:05 AM EST

Man Who Shot Texas Church Shooter Receives Medal of Courage — Jack Wilson, 71, poses for a photo at a firing range outside his home in Granbury, Texas, on Dec. 30, 2019. (Jake Bleiberg/AP Photo)

The man who prevented the Dec. 29 Texas church shooting incident from turning into a massacre by killing the gunman is to receive a medal of honor from Governor Greg Abbott.

"I don’t feel I’m a hero. I was doing what I needed to do to protect the people of the congregation," Jack Wilson, head of the volunteer security team at West Freeway Church of Christ in White Settlement, Texas, told ABC13.

"The only clear shot I had was his head because I still had people in the pews that were not all the way down as low as they could," Wilson said.

In this still frame from livestreamed video provided by law enforcement, churchgoers take cover while a congregant armed with a handgun, top left, engages a man who opened fire, near top center just right of windows, during a service at West Freeway Church of Christ, in White Settlement, Texas on Sunday, Dec. 29, 2019. (West Freeway Church of Christ/Courtesy of Law Enforcement via AP) — In this still frame from livestreamed video provided by law enforcement, churchgoers take cover while a congregant armed with a handgun, top left, engages a man who opened fire, near top center just right of windows, during a service at West Freeway Church of Christ, in White Settlement, Texas on Sunday, Dec. 29, 2019. West Freeway Church of Christ/Courtesy of Law Enforcement via AP

The incident happened just after the service started on Dec. 29. Wilson and 67-year-old Richard White, another member of the church security squad, spotted the gunman beforehand because he was acting strangely and dressed in a hat, long coat, wig, and an obviously fake beard.

The man, who was identified as 43-year-old Keith Thomas Kinnunen, was not unknown to some churchgoers because he had enjoyed free meals provided by the church in the past. White sat down behind Kinnunen to keep an eye on him.

But soon after the service started, Kinnunen stood up and wielded a shotgun that he'd concealed under his coat. White reportedly pulled a gun on him but was shot first. Then Kinnunen turned to the deacon, 64-year-old Tony Wallace, and shot him too.

Keith Thomas Kinnunen, who carried out an attack at West Freeway Church of Christ in White Settlement, Texas. This photo was taken on June 16, 2015. (River Oaks Police Department via AP) — Keith Thomas Kinnunen, who carried out an attack at West Freeway Church of Christ in White Settlement, Texas. This photo was taken on June 16, 2015. River Oaks Police Department via AP

At least six congregants pulled their guns out, while others ducked for cover between the pews. Wilson had one clear shot at him and pulled the trigger. The whole event was over in less than 6 seconds.

"I don't feel like I killed a human. I killed an evil. That's how I'm coping with the situation," Wilson, who is a certified gun instructor and operates a shooting range in his back yard, told DFW.

After the news broke, many gun rights proponents hailed Wilson's actions, saying it proved the Second Amendment works.

President Donald Trump also expressed his support on Twitter, saying "lived were saved by these heroes."

On Jan. 13, Wilson will be bestowed with the highest honor a civilian can receive from a state governor, the Medal of Courage, which will be presented by Governor Greg Abbott in Austin.