The Father of the Youngest Victim in Texas Shooting Speaks Out

The Father of the Youngest Victim in Texas Shooting Speaks Out
(GoFundMe)
Jack Phillips
11/10/2017
Updated:
11/10/2017

The father of the unborn child who was killed in the Texas church massacre last Sunday said that he wants everyone to know his name.

According to 9News, Crystal Holcombe and her unborn baby died in the attack, and the father-to-be, John Holcombe, wrote about the child:
Regarding our baby, we don’t know if it was a boy or a girl. It was too soon to tell. However, we have a name for our baby, who died in the womb.

Carlin Brite “Billy Bob” Holcombe

This includes Crystal’s pick for a girl, a boy, and the nickname the kids gave the baby.

Crystal was very thoughtful when coming up with these names. Carlin means small champion. It also sounds like Karla, Carolyn, and Charles. Marc’s daughter, Noah, who was only 17 months old, was reported as the youngest victim in the massacre.

He noted that “‘Billy Bob’ is the nickname the kids gave the baby.”

(GoFundMe)
(GoFundMe)

More than half of the victims in the attack were children, according to media reports.

The gunman was identified as Devin P. Kelley, who lived outside of San Antonio.

After Kelley was accused of a violent offense in 2012 the Air Force missed 2 chances to stop him from buying guns reported Reuters quoting from military documents.

In 2014 a third opportunity to flag shooter Devin Kelley was lost by a twist of bad luck when a Pentagon inspection of cases narrowly missed the former airman, Reuters reported.

The Air Force said on Monday it had failed to provide information as required about Kelley’s criminal history to the FBI’s criminal databases. It gave few other details about the omission.

Law enforcement officials gather near the First Baptist Church following a shooting on Nov. 5, 2017, in Sutherland Springs, Texas. (Erich Schlegel/Getty Images)
Law enforcement officials gather near the First Baptist Church following a shooting on Nov. 5, 2017, in Sutherland Springs, Texas. (Erich Schlegel/Getty Images)
Crosses with shooting victims' names stand near the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas on Nov. 9, 2017. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Crosses with shooting victims' names stand near the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas on Nov. 9, 2017. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Crosses with the names of victims are outside the First Baptist Church which was the scene of the mass shooting that killed 26 people in Sutherland Springs, Texas, on Nov. 8, 2017. (Mark Ralston/AFP/Getty Images)
Crosses with the names of victims are outside the First Baptist Church which was the scene of the mass shooting that killed 26 people in Sutherland Springs, Texas, on Nov. 8, 2017. (Mark Ralston/AFP/Getty Images)
Crime scene tape remains stretched along a road near the First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs on Nov. 7, 2017, in Sutherland Springs, Texas. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)
Crime scene tape remains stretched along a road near the First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs on Nov. 7, 2017, in Sutherland Springs, Texas. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

A review of Department of Defense procedures by Reuters shows that the military should have flagged Kelley twice , then serving at a New Mexico base, after he was accused of repeatedly beating his wife and stepson.

If Pentagon rules had been followed, the Air Force should have put Kelley into national criminal databases used for background checks soon after he was charged.

Reuters contributed to this report
Jack Phillips is a breaking news reporter with 15 years experience who started as a local New York City reporter. Having joined The Epoch Times' news team in 2009, Jack was born and raised near Modesto in California's Central Valley. Follow him on X: https://twitter.com/jackphillips5
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