This Sunday, a man dressed in all black went to First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, TX. and shot at the congregation, killing 26 people and injuring 20 others.

The hours following the attack involved swift action by local law enforcement, state officials and federal investigators who arrived on scene to sort through initial findings. Newscasters stepped in to try and bring the facts to the public. Suspect Devin Kelley was soon established as the shooter. Later in the night, it was uncovered that Kelley served in the Air Force. Kelley was discharged in 2014 on domestic assault counts against his wife and step-son. However, these offences were never entered into the National Criminal Information Center database, ultimately allowing him to purchase the guns he used in this weekend’s shooting. Air Force officials have initiated an investigation into how this slipped under the radar.

Among the victims is Kelley’s grandmother-in-law, (whom he threatened via text multiple times in the past), the 14 year-old daughter of the pastor at the church, and 24 others who range in age from 17 months-old to 77 years-old. Texas governor Greg Abbott noted the tragedy as the largest mass shooting in their state’s history. Sutherland Springs is near San Antonio, but maintains only a fraction of its neighbor’s population. Locals claim it is the kind of place where everyone knows everyone. Four percent of the town’s people were killed in the massacre, authorities say.

When events like this occur, the question arises: How can this be prevented? The deadly Las Vegas and Manhattan attacks happened just weeks ago. Sutherland Springs may be a small town, but this discussion will take place on a national scale as America focuses its attention on a place that will forever be marked by this senseless act.