Off-duty officer, citizen, thwart potential church massacre early Sunday in Texas

A potential tragedy was avoided early Sunday after police in Sequin, Texas, arrested a man who may have been planning to open fire on a church to fulfill what he claimed was a “prophecy."

What happened?

Police went to the 2400 block of West Kingsbury Street around 7 a.m. after witnesses reported seeing a man with a gun who was wearing tactical-style clothing and a surgical face shield," the Sequin Gazette reported. An off-duty officer who first arrived at the scene said the suspect told him he was on his way to a church to fulfill a prophecy. The suspect was carrying a loaded firearm and extra ammunition, police said.

Seguin police arrested Tony Albert, 33, who was booked at the Guadalupe County Jail on charges of possession of marijuana and felony possession of firearm.

Albert did not name the church he was targeting, according to the report.

Police credited the citizen and quick police action for averting what could have turned into a deadly situation.

"The Seguin Police Department is extremely grateful to the citizen who called police," Seguin police spokeswoman Tanya Brown said. "If this subject was not stopped and apprehended the results could have ended differently."

Police said the investigation is continuing.

Where is this located?

Seguin is just 25 miles north of Sutherland Springs, Texas, where a church massacre in 2017 left 26 dead and 20 injured. The killer in that incident was wearing “all-black tactical-type gear" and a ballistic vest.

After opening fire on the church, he was confronted by an armed citizen who shot at him. Police later found the killer dead in his vehicle. The armed citizen had shot the suspect once in the leg and once in the torso. A third gunshot wound to his head was consistent with being self-inflicted, the medical examiner said at the time.