Veteran and Sutherland Springs First Baptist Church member Ted Montgomery, left, greets members of the St. Mary's ROTC following a Veterans Day event, Saturday, Nov. 11, 2017, in Sutherland Springs, Texas. A man opened fire inside the church in the small South Texas community on Sunday, killing more than two dozen.
Eric Gay, The Associated Press
St. Mary's ROTC color guard take part in a Veterans Day event, Saturday, Nov. 11, 2017, in Sutherland Springs, Texas. The event was held at the community, just a block away from the Sutherland Springs First Baptist Church where a man opened killing more than two dozen. Veteran Robert Corrigan, who was killed in the church, was honored during the service.
Eric Gay, The Associated Press
Donna King stands for the national anthem during a Veterans Day event, Saturday, Nov. 11, 2017, in Sutherland Springs, Texas. The event was held in the community, just a block away from the Sutherland Springs First Baptist Church where a man opened killing more than two dozen. Veteran Robert Corrigan, who was killed in the church, was honored during the service.
Eric Gay, The Associated Press
First responders join in prayer following a Veterans Day event, Saturday, Nov. 11, 2017, near the Sutherland Springs First Baptist Church, in Sutherland Springs, Texas. A man opened fire inside the church in the small South Texas community on Sunday, killing more than two dozen.
Eric Gay, The Associated Press
First responders join in prayer following a Veterans Day event, Saturday, Nov. 11, 2017, near the Sutherland Springs First Baptist Church, in Sutherland Springs, Texas. A man opened fire inside the church in the small South Texas community on Sunday, killing more than two dozen.
Eric Gay, The Associated Press
Miguel Zamora stands a cross for the victims of the Sutherland Springs First Baptist Church shooting at a makeshift memorial, Saturday, Nov. 11, 2017, in Sutherland Springs, Texas. A man opened fire inside the church in the small South Texas community on Sunday, killing more than two dozen. Zamora carried the cross for three days to reach the site.
Eric Gay, The Associated Press
Two hearses arrive with the caskets of Richard and Therese Rodriguez at the Sutherland Springs Cemetery, Saturday, Nov. 11, 2017, in Sutherland Springs, Texas. The two were killed when a man opened fire inside the Sutherland Springs First Baptist church on Sunday.
Eric Gay, The Associated Press
A family arrives for a grave side service for Richard and Therese Rodriguez at the Sutherland Springs Cemetery, Saturday, Nov. 11, 2017, in Sutherland Springs, Texas. The Rodriguez couple were killed when a man opened fire inside the Sutherland Springs First Baptist church on Sunday.
Eric Gay, The Associated Press
Two hearses arrive with the caskets of Richard and Therese Rodriguez at the Sutherland Springs Cemetery, Saturday, Nov. 11, 2017, in Sutherland Springs, Texas. The two were killed when a man opened fire inside the Sutherland Springs First Baptist church on Sunday.
SUTHERLAND SPRINGS, Texas — Two white hearses carrying the bodies of a couple killed in last weekend’s Texas church shooting were followed by a long procession of vehicles Saturday evening that avoided passing the church, where more than two dozen people were fatally shot.
Mourners instead drove around the tiny community of Sutherland Springs before reaching a small cemetery on the edge of town, where dozens more vehicles waited along a rural road for the private burial of Therese and Richard Rodriguez. Sheriff’s SUVs shielded mourners at the cemetery’s three entrances.
The services for the recently retired couple followed a ceremony earlier in the day where about 100 people gathered to commemorate Veterans Day and to honor the shooting victims, nearly half of whom had ties to the Air Force.
“Maybe this will start the healing process that will get Sutherland Springs and Wilson County to put this horrific tragedy behind us and look to the future,” county Judge Richard Jackson, his voice breaking, told the crowd, which included first responders and law enforcement officers.
Jackson, the county’s top administrator, thanked the first responders and others who rushed to First Baptist Church in the aftermath of Sunday’s shooting. What they saw there will affect them the rest of their lives, Jackson said during the ceremony outside the town’s community center, where a wreath was placed near flags to remember those killed.
Nick Wagner, Austin American-Statesman via AP
Carrie Matula embraces a woman after a fatal shooting at the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas, on Sunday, Nov. 5, 2017. Matula said she heard the shooting from the gas station where she works a block away.
Nick Wagner, Austin American-Statesman via AP
Law enforcement officials work the scene of a fatal shooting at the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas, on Sunday, Nov. 5, 2017.
Jay Janner, Austin American-Statesman via AP
Investigators work at the scene of a mass shooting at the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas, on Sunday Nov. 5, 2017. A man opened fire inside of the church in the small South Texas community on Sunday, killing more than 20 people.
Jay Janner, Austin American-Statesman via AP
Investigators work at the scene of a deadly shooting at the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas, Sunday Nov. 5, 2017. A man opened fire inside of the church in the small South Texas community on Sunday, killing more than 20 people.
Nick Wagner, Austin American-Statesman via AP
A man wipes his eyes after a deadly shooting at the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas, Sunday, Nov. 5, 2017. A man opened fire inside of the church in the small South Texas community on Sunday, killing more than 20 people.
San Antonio Express-News, Zuma Press/TNS
A group gathered in prayer outside the Community Center, after a mass shooting occurred at the First Baptist Church on Sunday, Nov. 5, 2017.
Jay Janner, Austin American-Statesman via AP
Enrique and Gabby Garcia watch investigators at the scene of a mass shooting at the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas, on Sunday Nov. 5, 2017. A man opened fire inside of the church in the small South Texas community on Sunday, killing more than 20 people.
Erich Schlegel, Getty Images
Law enforcement and forensic officials gather near the First Baptist Church following a shooting on Nov. 5, 2017 in Sutherland Springs, Texas. At least 20 people were reportedly killed and 24 injured when a gunman, identified as Devin P. Kelley, 26, entered the church during a service and opened fire.
Erich Schlegel, Getty Images
People gather near First Baptist Church following a shooting on Nov. 5, 2017 in Sutherland Springs, Texas. At least 26 people were reportedly killed and 24 injured when a gunman, identified as Devin P. Kelley, 26, entered the church during a service and opened fire.
Jay Janner, Austin American-Statesman via AP
A couple comfort each other at a community center in Sutherland Springs, Texas, near the scene of a mass shooting at the First Baptist Church on Sunday, Nov. 5, 2017. A man opened fire inside of the church in the small South Texas community on Sunday, killing more than 20 people.
Nick Wagner, Austin American-Statesman via AP
A woman prays with a man after a fatal shooting at the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas, on Sunday, Nov. 5, 2017.
Eric Baradat, AFP/Getty Images
Texas Governor Greg Abbott speaks at a press conference on Nov. 5, 2017, in Sutherland Springs, Texas about the First Baptist Church mass shooting.
"There are 26 lives that have been lost. We don't know if that number will rise or not, all we know is that's too many, and this will be a long, suffering mourning for those in pain," Abbott said.
Suzanne Cordeiro, AFP/Getty Images
Wilson County Sheriff Joe Tackitt (C) speaks at a press conference on Nov. 5, 2017, in Sutherland Springs, Texas about the First Baptist Church mass shooting.
"There are 26 lives that have been lost. We don't know if that number will rise or not, all we know is that's too many, and this will be a long, suffering mourning for those in pain," Texas Governor Greg Abbott (L seated) said.
Darren Abate, The Associated Press
Law enforcement officers man a barricade near the First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs after a fatal shooting, Sunday, Nov. 5, 2017, in Sutherland Springs, Texas.
Suzanne Cordeiro, AFP/Getty Images
Police block a road in Sutherland Springs, Texas, on Nov. 5, 2017, after a mass shooting at the the First Baptist Church.
A gunman went into the church during Sunday morning services and shot dead some two dozen worshippers, the sheriff said, in the latest mass shooting to shock the US. "Approximately 25 people" were dead, including the shooter, Wilson County Sheriff Joe Tackitt told NBC News. At least 10 people were wounded. The motive was not immediately known, he added.
Nick Wagner, Austin American-Statesman via AP
Law enforcement officials works at the scene of a fatal shooting at the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas, on Sunday, Nov. 5, 2017.
Darren Abate, The Associated Press
Members of the FBI walk behind the First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs after a fatal shooting, Sunday, Nov. 5, 2017, in Sutherland Springs, Texas.
Jay Janner, Austin American-Statesman via AP
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott consoles Ann Montgomery, a Sunday school teacher at First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs during a candlelight vigil for the victims of a fatal shooting at the First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs, Sunday, Nov. 5, 2017, in Sutherland Springs, Texas.
Darren Abate, The Associated Press
Mourners participate in a candlelight vigil held for the victims of a fatal shooting at the First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs, Sunday, Nov. 5, 2017, in Sutherland Springs, Texas.
Darren Abate, The Associated Press
Mourners participate in a candlelight vigil held for the victims of a fatal shooting at the First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs, Sunday, Nov. 5, 2017, in Sutherland Springs, Texas.
Jay Janner, Austin American-Statesman via AP
Bailey LeJeaune, 17, and David Betancourt, 18, hold candles during a vigil in Sutherland Springs for the victims of a deadly shooting at the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas, Sunday, Nov. 5, 2017. A man opened fire inside of the church in the small South Texas community on Sunday, killing more than 20 people.
Nick Wagner, Austin American-Statesman via AP
Lisa Cavazos speaks with Texas Gov. Greg Abbott during a candlelight vigil held for the victims of a fatal shooting at the First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs, Sunday, Nov. 5, 2017, in Sutherland Springs, Texas.
The gunman killed 25 people — authorities put the number at 26 because one was pregnant — and wounded about 20 others. The gunman died of what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound after being shot and chased by two men who heard gunfire from the church.
Investigators have said the shooting appeared to stem from a domestic dispute involving the attacker, Devin Patrick Kelley, and his mother-in-law, who sometimes attended services at the church but wasn’t there the day of the shooting. Kelley had a history of domestic violence: He was given a bad conduct discharge from the Air Force after pleading guilty to assaulting his first wife and stepson.
Sutherland Springs is about 30 miles (48 kilometers) southeast of San Antonio and not far from several military posts, including Lackland Air Force Base. The Air Force’s chief of staff, Gen. David Goldfein, said 12 of those killed were either members of the Air Force or had family ties to it.
Among them were Scott and Karen Marshall, both 56, who had decided to retire in nearby La Vernia after meeting when they were in the service together more than 30 years ago. On Thursday, a military funeral was held for them at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph.
Retired Chief Warrant Officer Mike Gonzales, who led Saturday’s Veterans Day ceremony, moved to Sutherland Springs with his wife to raise their children in 2009. He said many veterans choose to live in the San Antonio area because of its deep military ties, and families tend to migrate to the city’s surrounding rural areas.
“We come here to enjoy life, to get quiet and to raise our children,” he said. “We’ve been to war zones and seen that tragedy firsthand. Never did we think that tragedy would strike here.”
U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar told the gathering to lean on one another for support. The Texas congressman said $10 million in federal assistance has been secured to help cover overtime costs for law enforcement agencies involved in the investigation.
Some in the crowd Saturday wore shirts that said “Sutherland Springs Strong” and included an outline of Texas with a heart of the town’s location. The shirts were donated by Brenda Bierd, who lives on the Gulf Coast and whose home was damaged by Hurricane Harvey in late August.
“I hadn’t even heard of Sutherland Springs before the shooting, but this is what you do,” she said. “I just had this feeling I needed to be here.”
A steady stream of people also visited a makeshift memorial of crosses adorned with flowers, photographs, red hearts and white, purple and pink balloons.
Among the visitors was Jackie Lee, who said she asked her friends on Facebook if anyone would come with her from San Antonio this weekend. She said about two dozen people quickly said they would.
“It was on my heart since it happened,” she said. “I needed to come to show the community some support, to show these people some support.”
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