At least 26 people were killed, including eight members of one family, while 20 others were wounded when a gunman opened fire at a church in Sutherland Springs, Texas, on Sunday.

The Holcombe family lost eight members, including four children, in the violent attack. Bryan Holcombe, an associate pastor at the church was killed in the gunfire, along with his wife of four decades Karla, and their son Marc. Marc's young daughter Noah was also killed in the shooting.

Bryan and Karla's other son John was injured when a shrapnel struck his leg. However, his pregnant wife Crystal and three of their five children, Emily, Megan, and Greg, were all killed in the mass shooting.

The victims were attending a church service at the First Baptist Church on Sunday when the suspect, identified as 26-year-old Devin Kelly, began firing at them as he was walking towards the church clad in body armor.

The victims of the massacre ranged in age from 18 months to 72 years old. The 14-year-old daughter of the First Baptist Church's pastor was also among those who were killed. The pastor, Frank Pomeroy, and his wife Sherri were travelling out of state when the killing happened.

Lula White, the grandmother of Kelly's wife, was also killed in the attack.

As the gunman exited the church, a local resident engaged the suspect with his own rifle. The killer then fled in his car, while the resident was joined by another person and pursued the suspect in a high-speed car case.

According to authorities, the suspect called his father during the chase and told him that he had been shot and he did not think he was going to make it. The suspect's vehicle crashed off the road on to a field in Guadalupe County.

The killer was found dead in the vehicle. He had three gunshot wounds, two from the local resident who fired back at him, and a self-inflicted shot to the head.