HOUSTON, Nov. 8 (Xinhua) -- The governor of the U.S. state of Texas on Wednesday proclaimed Sunday a Day of Prayer for the victims of the mass shooting in a church that left 26 people dead.
Governor Greg Abbott said he is deeply saddened by the tragedy, and urged the people of Texas to "join with their fellow citizens and with others from across the country and around the world to seek God's comfort, grace and healing in this time of crisis."
The governor encouraged all Texans to join him in a moment of silence at 11:30 a.m. (1730 GMT) on Sunday to "honor and remember the lives of those who have been lost."
Texas public safety officials said 26 people were killed after gunman Devin Patrick Kelley opened fire at a church in Sutherland Springs, a community about 300 km west of Houston.
The attack in the church was the deadliest mass shooting in Texas history, Abbott said.
The lone gunman, dressed in black tactical gear and a ballistic vest, drove up to the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs on Sunday and started firing inside.
The gunman was later found to have died nearby in his car, apparently of a gunshot wound after he fled the scene.
