Former FBI Agent Took Down Shooter And Killed Him With A Single Shot To The Head

The hero former FBI agent who took down the gunman in the Texas church said afterward that he was not prepared to let ‘evil’ succeed as he told how he killed him with a single shot to his head. 

Jack Wilson, 70, is the head of the volunteer security team at the West Freeway Church in White Settlement, a town near Fort Worth, where gunman Keith Thomas Kinnunen opened fire on Sunday. 

He was able to take Kinnunen down within six seconds of his first shot. 

He said that he and the others in his team were suspicious of Kinnunen when he first arrived at the church because he was wearing a long coat, a fake beard, glasses, and wig. 

When Kinnunen drew his gun – a shotgun he had been hiding beneath his coat – the security guards drew theirs.  

Kinnunen was able to fatally wound Richard White, 67, – a security guard – and nurse and parishioner Anton ‘Tony’ Wallace, 64, before Wilson took him out with a single shot to the head. 

Wilson then marched over to his body and stood over it, kicking his gun away to ensure he would not get up and try to start firing again in the off-chance he had survived. 

In an interview with Fox on Monday, Wilson described how the entire incident unfolded in just six seconds. 

He later said he did not feel as though he had taken another life because Kinnunen was ‘evil’ and not human. 

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‘I was standing to Richard’s right about 6ft. He shot Richard and shot Tony Wallace, at that point, I didn’t’ have a clear shot. 

‘I finally got it about a second later. I took the shot, the shooter went down. I went over to cover, pulled the shotgun away from his body. Then other people in the church who are part of the security team came forward in case he tried to get up which he did not,’ he said. 

Wilson said he and other members of the security team were suspicious of him from when he first arrived at the church, dressed strangely and having never been there before. 

‘He had on a fake beard and a fake wig and was wearing a long coat. From where I was standing I could see his right hand at all times, but could not see his left hand.  

‘From the moment he walked in the door we had eyes on him. Physical eyes and cameras. 

‘Apparently, with the shotgun he had which was a short barrel, a legal firearm, he had it evidently in his pocket, and underneath his armpit. I know he discharged two rounds, possibly a third, as he was going down – after he shot Richard and Tony – he went and started towards the front of the sanctuary and that’s when I was able to engage,’ he said. 

White was able to fire one shot before he was taken down, but it hit the wall.

Jack Wilson fbi agent
In an interview on Monday, Wilson was humble as he recalled bringing the shooter down

‘This type of scenario hopefully never happens. 

‘You train but hope you never have to go to that extreme. But if you do, your training will kick in,’ he said. 

Wilson said he had to pause for a second to get a clear shot after Kinnunen started firing as ‘chaos’ erupted and parishioners ran for their lives. 

‘There were people in front of me between the shooter and myself. I had to just wait a second. The whole thing was less than 6 seconds from start to finish,’ he said. 

He added there was ‘no verbal communication whatsoever’ between him and the shooter, and that he was ‘bleeding profusely’ from his head afterward. 

‘The only movement was body twitching which happens when someone is in that condition about to die.

‘I only fired one round which was a headshot,’ he said. 

He told NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt separately that he did not feel as though he’d taken a human life. 

‘I don’t feel like I killed a human, I killed an evil and that’s how I’m coping with the situation,’ he said.

Wilson, a father, grandfather and local politician, said on Facebook afterward that he felt blessed to have been able to protect the congregation.

‘I just want to thank all who have sent their prayers and comments on the events of today. 

‘The events at West Freeway Church of Christ put me in a position that I would hope no one would have to be in, but evil exists and I had to take out an active shooter in church.

‘I’m thankful to GOD that I have been blessed with the ability and desire to serve him in the role of head of security at the church. 

‘I am very sad in the loss of two dear friends and brothers in CHRIST, but evil does exist in this world and I and other members are not going to allow evil to succeed. 

‘Please pray for all the members and their families in this time. 

Thank you for your prayers and understanding.’

Jack Wilson fbi agent
Wilson, 70, is running for County Commissioner. He said he was ‘blessed with the ability’ to protect the other parishioners

On Facebook, he describes himself as a former sheriff and small business owner.

Public records show he owns On Target Firearms Acaemy. 

Wilson did not immediately respond to DailyMail.com’s inquiries on Monday morning.

He is an enthusiastic Trump supporter, Republican and gun owner whose campaign mission is to help law enforcement and restore the public respect police officers once enjoyed. 

Wilson has been married for 51 years, has three daughters and some grandchildren.

His social media pages have now been flooded with messages of gratitude. 

The FBI is investigating the shooting. 

Jack Wilson fbi agent
Jack with his wife of 51 years, Margaret. He previously worked as a sheriff, and says he continues to work with law enforcement at a federal level
Jack Wilson fbi agent
Wilson is pictured laying a wreath at the grave of a soldier in a military cemetery earlier this year
Jack Wilson fbi agent
Wilson is running for county commissioner. His values include restoring police respect and he is pro-life

They the gunman was ‘relatively transient’ but was known to have connections to the area. 

Churchgoers who survived the shooting say they had never seen him before. 

A woman whose mother was sat next to him said she thought he was behaving strangely and that she noticed she had never seen him before.  

‘She’s the one who recognized that he had a fake beard on, sunglasses and he had writing on the back of his jacket. 

‘She knew from growing up at church that she didn’t recognize this gentleman. The moment she saw the shotgun come out, she went under the bench and hid,’ Davis told WFAA. 

She added that she was giving ‘glory to God’ that her mother survived.   

Jack Wilson fbi agent
MedStar Mobile Healthcare spokeswoman Macara Trusty said two people were fatally shot at the West Freeway Church of Christ (officers outside the church) in White Settlement

**LISTEN NOW** Jack Wilson who fatally shot the White Settlement church shooter details how it went down & why the shooter had their attention even before he walked into the church @FOX4 pic.twitter.com/ZKS6mmR6NA— Natalie Solis (@Fox4Natalie) December 30, 2019

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