The attack was the worst mass shooting in Texas history.
Washington:
A US federal judge on Monday ordered the Air Force to pay more than $230 million in compensatory damages to survivors and relatives of victims of the 2017 Texas shootings for failing to disclose Report the criminal record of the perpetrator.
26 people were killed and 22 others injured when Devin Patrick Kelley opened fire at First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas, in November 2017.
Kelley, a convicted felon, has a history of domestic abuse and mental health problems.
The attack, in which Kelley was later found dead by shooting himself, was the worst mass shooting in Texas history.
“The Court concluded that the Government had failed to exercise reasonable interest in Kelley’s commitment to submit a criminal history to the FBI and that the Government was responsible for 60% of Plaintiff’s injuries,” the ruling read.
The families of the victims and survivors have sued the US government, alleging that they may have prevented the gunman from legally buying a firearm.
The plaintiff named in the ruling is Joe Holcombe, who, along with his wife, Claryce, lost nine members of their family in the attack, including children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Kelley legally purchased firearms even though people convicted of felonies are generally not allowed to own firearms. Licensed sellers must check country databases before completing a purchase.
But the gunman was able to get through the background check because the Air Force failed to report his two domestic violence convictions five years earlier.
Air Force spokeswoman Ann Stefanek said it plans to appeal the ruling, the New York Times reported.
Gun laws in Texas are among the laxest in the United States.
(Except for the title, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from an aggregated feed.)
