Grand Jury Declines to Indict Man Who Killed Church Shooter

FORT WORTH, TX –  A north Texas grand jury decided Monday not to seek any legal action against the man who fatally shot an armed suspect that killed multiple churchgoers at a Fort Worth-area church in late December of 2019, prosecutors said.

Jack Wilson, a firearms instructor who trained the volunteer security team at the West Freeway Church of Christ in White Settlement, fatally shot and killed Keith Thomas Kinnunen during a Dec. 29 church service after the gunman shot and killed two parishioners, and a server.

The report states that after the attacker shot two men in the front left side of the building's sanctuary, congregants were seen scrambling for cover.

As the gunman headed to the front of the sanctuary Wilson searched for a clear line of fire, and fired a single round which quickly ended the assault.

Prosecutors say there were an estimated 260 people in attendance at the church when the gunman began firing into the crowd.

On Monday, Tim Rodgers, a prosecutor with the Tarrant County district attorney’s office, said that the state of Texas law allows any individual witnessing someone else placing others at risk of serious injury or death to act with deadly force in order to protect the lives of others.

“Mr. Wilson did just that. He did it responsibly and, as a result, he was justified under the law in his actions,” said Rodgers. “Based upon the grand jury’s decision, the law enforcement investigation and our review of the case are complete. We believe the grand jury made the right decision.”

Wilson, who is currently running for a seat on the Hood County Commissioners Court, later wrote in a post to Facebook claiming that he was put “in a position I would hope no one would have to be in, but evil exists and I had to take out an active shooter in church.”

Many local, state and national officials have praised Wilson for his actions, as many churchgoers who were in attendance that morning, say that he saved countless lives that day.

[[{"fid":"75589","view_mode":"default","fields":{"format":"default","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":"(Pres. Donald Trump Thanks Gunman Who Stopped Church Shooting)","field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":"(Pres. Donald Trump Thanks Gunman Who Stopped Church Shooting)"},"type":"media","field_deltas":{"1":{"format":"default","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":"(Pres. Donald Trump Thanks Gunman Who Stopped Church Shooting)","field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":"(Pres. Donald Trump Thanks Gunman Who Stopped Church Shooting)"}},"attributes":{"alt":"(Pres. Donald Trump Thanks Gunman Who Stopped Church Shooting)","title":"(Pres. Donald Trump Thanks Gunman Who Stopped Church Shooting)","class":"media-element file-default","data-delta":"1"}}]]

Tarrant County Sheriff Bill Waybourn said, “Today evil walked boldly among us, but let me remind you, good people raised up and stopped it before it got worse.”

Shortly after the shooting, Wilson was awarded Texas' highest civilian honor: the Governor’s Medal of Courage by Governor Greg Abbott for his heroic actions that day that saved the lives of many.