The recent Texas Church shooting sparked an outrage by the people over the audacity of the shooter, but the daughter of a church deacon who was gunned down has decided to practice what Christ taught- she has decided to forgive her father’s killer.
Anton “Tony” Wallace, a 64-year-old registered nurse, was killed at West Freeway Church of Christ in White Settlement by the armed man who entered the church and opened fire on parishioners.
He was killed while serving communion to his fellow brothers and sisters in Christ.
Tiffany Wallace, a survivor and daughter of the deceased Anton Wallace, said the church would have welcomed the disturbed gunman with open arms if he was in need. “Food, shelter, we would give it to him — whatever he needed,” she said.
As she saw the man enter the church wearing a fake beard, she thought “‘Hey, he’s a visitor, probably looking for new church home.’” But just seconds later as her father held a communion tray in-hand, he was senselessly shot dead.
“It just happened so fast and it was so crazy,” Wallace said. “I was like, ‘Not my dad, not my dad.’” After ensuring her children were safe, Tiffany rushed to her father’s side to comfort him — he later passed away in hospital.
Tiffany Wallace, Anton's daughter, was in the pews, ran to her dad and held him as he took his final breaths.
“I ran toward my dad and the last thing I remember is him asking for oxygen and I was just holding him, telling him I loved him and that he was going to make it.” pic.twitter.com/rFW2rp3L4Z
— Paul Sacca (@Paul_Sacca) December 30, 2019
Tiffany Wallace, who was sitting in the church pews, ran to her dad and held him as he took his final breaths. “I ran toward my dad and the last thing I remember is him asking for oxygen and I was just holding him, telling him I loved him and that he was going to make it.”
Tiffany said her dad was “always prepared” for heaven. “I never thought this would happen. You think dad would get old and sick but never get murdered,” she said.
The gunman was shot dead by a member of the church’s armed security team within seconds, and Tiffany insisted that he was an “evil” man, but still she chose to forgive him. “I forgive him, and it’s the hardest thing to say because it’s like, somebody killed your dad, but I forgive him,” Wallace said. “I’ll never forgive what he did, but I forgive him.”
Watch: Texas church shooting victim’s daughter forgives gunman
Anton Wallace lived an exemplary life, “he didn’t cuss, he didn’t really raise his voice, he always tried to be the calm solver. He was an amazing husband and father and he took care of his family.” she added.
West Freeway congregant John Richardson, who shielded his wife when the shooting took place said to forgive the killer because he was still a “creature of God.”
“I know he took some lives but we have to remember that he is a creature of God also just like we are,” Richardson explained. “And it’s a sad thing that he had to come into the congregation and hurt people, and it’s a sad thing that we had to hurt him, but I don’t have any hate for this person.”
Police are still looking for a clear motive for the attack. Church and school shootings in the country are on the rise and as our country braces for imminent attacks by an enemy country, let us also be “always prepared” for heaven, just like Anton Wallace was.
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