A U.S. federal judge on Monday ordered the Air Force to pay more than $230 million in damages to survivors and relatives of victims of a 2017 Texas shooting for failing to report the criminal record of the perpetrator of the attack.
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Twenty-six people were killed and 22 others were injured when Devin Patrick Kelley opened fire at a church in Sutherland Springs, Texas, in November 2017, the worst mass shooting in that state’s history.
Kelley, a convicted felon, had a history of domestic violence and mental health issues. He was found dead after the tragedy, after turning his gun on himself.
Families of victims and survivors were suing the US government, claiming it could have stopped the shooter from legally acquiring firearms.
“The Court found that the government failed to exercise reasonable care in its endeavor to submit Kelley’s criminal history to the FBI and that the government was 60% liable for the plaintiffs’ injuries,” reads the statement. judgement.
Convicted felons are generally not allowed to own firearms, and licensed sellers are expected to check national databases before making a purchase.
Gun laws in Texas are among the most lax in the country.
Kelley escaped the background check system because the US Air Force in which he had served had not reported his two domestic violence convictions, five years prior.
Air Force spokeswoman Ann Stefanek said the military plans to appeal the decision, according to the New York Times.