United States President Donald Trump on Monday said the shooting in Texas that left 26 people was a result of a “mental health problem” and was not a “guns situation”. Calling the gunman “a very deranged individual”, he said it was fortunate that “somebody else had a gun that was shooting in the opposite direction”, VICE News reported.

Trump made the statement at a press conference in Tokyo, Japan.

The gunman – identified as 26-year-old Devin P Kelly – had opened fire during Sunday service at the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs. He was shot at by another civilian, after which he fled the scene. Authorities said he had called his mother and said he would not make it and then shot himself dead, CNN reported.

The incident was the deadliest mass shooting in the history of Texas. The Pentagon said Kelly had served as an airman “at one point”, but did not give any further details about his time in the Air Force.