Vigils held Monday night after deadly shooting at White Settlement church

WHITE SETTLEMENT, Texas - Two vigils were held simultaneously on Monday night one day after a man killed two people in a White Settlement church before being shot dead by church security.

As West Freeway Church of Christ members met privately inside, people from other churches and from the area held a vigil outside.

A minister from a church in Franklin, Texas led the vigil outside the church building. Fort Worth council members and other leaders were on hand to pray for the families of the victims.

While the church is hurting, leaders said the tragedy will not stop their mission to help all people.

“Know this, evil did not win,” said Britt Farmer, lead minister at the church.

In the midst of dealing with loss, Farmer said just as they served the gunman, so will they continue to serve others.

“We pray for you every day. You are who we are here to serve,” Farmer told the crowd.

Texas DPS officials were also at the vigil, saying they were working with the church.

After the shooting, Texas officials hailed the state's gun laws, including a measure enacted this year that affirmed the right of licensed handgun holders to carry a weapon in places of worship, unless the facility bans them.

President Donald Trump also tweeted his appreciation for state's gun legislation Monday night, saying, "Lives were saved by these heroes, and Texas laws allowing them to carry arms!"

That law was passed in the aftermath of the deadliest mass shooting in Texas history, which was also at a church. In the 2017 massacre at First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs, a man who opened fire on a Sunday morning congregation killed more than two dozen people. He later killed himself.