More than 20 people have been killed after a gunman opened fire at a church during Sunday services, police say.

The attack happened at the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, a small town in Wilson County, Texas.

The gunman, who is reported to have been killed in the aftermath, entered the church and opened fire at around 11:30 local time (17:30 GMT).

Wilson County Commissioner Albert Gamez Jr said the gunman fled the scene in a vehicle before being killed.
"You never expect something like this. My heart is broken," Mr Gamez Jr said.

Earlier estimates put the death toll as high as 27. Mr Gamez Jr told CNN he was told by an emergency medical technician at least 27 died and 24 others were wounded.

About 50 people usually attend the service, locals said. The BBC's James Cook reported that children were among those killed.

The First Baptist Church's pastor, Frank Pomeroy, has told ABC News that his 14-year-old daughter, Annabelle, was killed in the shooting.

Mr Pomeroy, who was out of town in Oklahoma at the time, described her as "one very beautiful, special child" in a phone call to the television outlet.

The gunman died after a brief car chase into nearby Guadalupe County slightly to the north, a Sherriff's Office deputy from that county told CNN.

But it is not clear if he was killed by police or killed himself, the spokesman said.