Kenneth Truitt, a 49-year-old electrical contractor from Daingerfield, Texas, was killed on June 22, 1980, while attempting to stop a mass shooter at First Baptist Church in Daingerfield. During the Sunday service, Alvin King III entered and began firing, killing five people and wounding ten. Truitt, along with other church members, tried to intervene. After King was forced out of the sanctuary and struggled with Red McDaniel outside, Truitt followed into the foyer and dived at King as the assailant turned back toward the church door. King shot Truitt; Truitt died of his wounds.

King fled the scene and was later found hiding in a nearby fire station. He was arrested and charged with murder; he later hanged himself in the Morris County Jail before trial. A monument outside the church commemorates the victims, including Kenneth Truitt and Red McDaniel, who died trying to stop the attacker.

Does anyone have memories of the church or the day that might add detail about the community response?