The gunman who opened fire on worshippers at a church service on Sunday escaped from a mental health facility five years ago after being caught sneaking weapons on to a military base and planning to carry out death threats made to his commanding officers. Months after the attempted escape, late in 2012, he was sentenced to a year in a military prison. After a bad conduct discharge in 2014, Kelley moved to Colorado, where he was cited on an animal cruelty charge for allegedly beating a dog. The 26-year-old was found dead a couple of miles from the scene, seemingly from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. Had they done so it would have raised red flags when he attempted to buy guns.

Source: The Guardian November 07, 2017 21:58 UTC