Community gathers to pray for shooting victims in College Station

COLLEGE STATION, TX (KTRK) -- A Brazos County constable, an innocent bystander and the man investigators say started it all are dead after a wild shootout in College Station.

We've learned that gunman is Thomas Caffall. We've also learned that one of the other four people injured is a Houston woman who was dropping her daughter off at college.

At 12:30pm Monday, College Station police responded to a call of shots fired at a house just south of the Texas A&M.

When they arrived, they found a constable dead in the front yard, and then Caffall started firing at them. The officers fired back, called for help, and for the next 30 minutes, exchanged fire with Caffall until an officer shot and killed him.

The victims of the shootout were rushed to two different hospitals there. One of those victims, a Houston mother, remains hospitalized in critical condition.

Within just a few hours of the deadly shootout, friends, neighbors and even strangers filled four churches in the Bryan-College Station area.

"For the community, the Aggieland spirit is strong," said James Sifuentez, who was praying for the victims.

They gathered to pray for those recovering and remember those who were killed. Jacklyn Cantu worked with Constable Brian Bachmann.

"Just a really good person, always went out of his way to help everyone," Cantu said.

Bachmann, a 20-year law enforcement veteran, was on the front line of this tragedy, serving the eviction notice when he was met with gunfire from Thomas Caffall. It soon turned into a lengthy battle involving a number of officers.

"It was pretty scary," neighbor Diana Harbourt said.

Nearby, Harbourt and her boyfriend, Dat Nguyen, took cover inside only to realize later a bullet had sailed for a block and hit their window.

"First round was five or six shots, wait and 30 seconds later, another five or six shots and it was just like an automatic gun going off, and it was going on for about 30 minutes," Nguyen said.

And caught in the middle, innocent civilians, including 51-year-old Barbara Holdsworth of Houston. She was helping her daughter, a Texas A&M student, move ahead of the start of school. Holdsworth was shot in the shoulder and underwent surgery while her neighbors in west Houston were rallying their support.

"Sending prayers cause it's rally shocking and tragic," Holdsworth's neighbor Taylor Dull said.

While in College Station, the community comes together.

"It's a great loss for our community and it's senseless together," College Station Mayor Nancy Berry said.

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