Man Who Chased After Texas Suspect: 'Why Wouldn't You Want To Take Him Down?'

Willa Frej
Updated

When Johnnie Langendorff witnessed a shootout between the suspected gunman wanted in the massacre at a Texas church and a neighbor, he decided to help. He ended up following the alleged shooter down a highway for 11 miles.

“He just hurt so many people, and he just affected so many people’s lives,” Langendorff told KSAT. “Why wouldn’t you want to take him down?”

Langendorff said he never saw the suspect, who authorities identified to several news outlets as Devin Patrick Kelley, but happened to witness a gunfight as he pulled up to an intersection.

“His vehicle was open and engine running, and the neighbor across the street [came] out at the same time, exchanging fire,” Langendorff said.

When Kelley took off in his car, the neighbor approached Langendorff.

“He briefed me quickly on what had just happened,” said Langendorff, “and said that we had to get him and that’s what I did.”

Langendorff remained on the phone with authorities during the car chase, and told the police which roads they were taking. Eventually, when the suspect hit about 95 mph, he “lost control on his own and went off in the ditch.”

“The gentleman that was with me got out, rested his rifle on my hood and kept it aimed at [the suspect], telling him to get out, get out, there was no movement. The guy didn’t put up a fight or anything. I just knew his brake lights were going on and off.”

Authorities credited the neighbor’s interference with minimizing the damage, even though it’s still unclear whether any of his shots actually hit Kelley. Wilson County sheriff Joe Tackitt told CBS News on Monday that he believes Kelley died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

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This article originally appeared on HuffPost.