{"id":21636,"date":"2017-11-07T21:50:27","date_gmt":"2017-11-07T21:50:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/uncategorized\/2017\/11\/07\/church-shooter-threatened-to-kill-superiors-escaped-from-mental-health-hospital-in-2012\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T20:35:32","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T20:35:32","slug":"church-shooter-threatened-to-kill-superiors-escaped-from-mental-health-hospital-in-2012","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/news\/your-air-force\/2017\/11\/07\/church-shooter-threatened-to-kill-superiors-escaped-from-mental-health-hospital-in-2012\/","title":{"rendered":"Church shooter threatened to kill superiors, escaped from mental health hospital in 2012"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Devin Kelley, the former airman who shot and killed 26 people in a Texas church Sunday, previously escaped from a behavioral health hospital after being caught sneaking firearms on base and threatening to kill his superiors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to an El Paso, Texas, Police Department incident report posted online by Houston TV station KPRC,<\/a> Kelley escaped from the Peak Behavioral Health Services facility in Santa Teresa, New Mexico, and fled to Texas. He was reported missing June 7, 2012.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kelley \u201csuffered from mental disorders\u201d and \u201cwas a danger to himself and others,\u201d the report said. Kelley snuck guns onto Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico in an attempt to \u201ccarry out death threats that [he] had made on his military chain of command,\u201d the report said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kelley was last seen at the behavioral health facility in New Mexico June 7, 2012, and was detained by El Paso officers six days later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the time, Kelley was facing domestic assault charges, two of which he would plead guilty to later that year. Kelley was sentenced to 12 months confinement and a bad conduct discharge.<\/p>\n\n\n