Abbott to present Governor’s Medal of Courage to man who stopped White Settlement church shooter

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WHITE SETTLEMENT, Texas - Gov. Greg Abbott will present Governor’s Medal of Courage to the man responsible for stopping a gunman who killed two people in a North Texas church.

The Governor’s Medal of Courage is the highest award given to citizens in Texas. On Monday, Abbott will give it to 71-year-old Jack Wilson, calling him a “good guy with a gun who stopped a bad guy with a gun.”

Wilson is head of the security team at West Freeway Church of Christ. He was at the Sunday service on Dec. 29 when angry homeless man pulled out a shotgun and started shooting at people in the congregation.

“When the individual came into the building we were aware that there were some concerns with him,” Wilson told FOX 4.

Police said the gunman was wearing a wig, fake beard, ski cap and long coat. Wilson and other security team members kept their eye on him and responded as soon as they saw him take out his gun.

Wilson saw the gunman fatally shoot his fellow security team member, Richard White, and long-time church deacon, Tony Wallace.

Despite the chaos and emotions, he relied on his training as a former Army National Guardsman, former Hood County reserve deputy and experienced marksman to take out the gunman with a single shot to the head.

“You train but you hope you never have to go to that extreme but if you do your training will kick in,” Wilson said.

“It took 6 seconds. He saved countless lives. He is Jack Wilson and a true Texas hero,” the governor said on Twitter.

Of course, Wilson doesn’t really consider himself a hero.

“I don't feel like I killed an individual, I killed evil and that's how I'm approaching it and that's how I'm processing,” he said. “I don’t see myself as a hero. I see myself as doing what needed to be done to take out the evil threat.”