The survivors and families of victims of the 2017 mass shooting at a Texas church that resulted in the deaths of 26 people have reached a settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice for $144.5 million. The Air Force has been held primarily responsible by a judge for the tragedy, and the settlement involves more than 75 plaintiffs who need the approval of U.S. District Judge Xavier Rodriguez in San Antonio. This settlement would end the government's appeal of Rodriguez's order to pay approximately $230 million over the Nov. 5, 2017, massacre by former Air Force airman Devin Patrick Kelley at the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas.
During a Sunday service, Devin Patrick Kelley, 26, opened fire at a church in Sutherland Springs, Texas, killing 26 people and injuring 22 others. He wore a skull mask and dressed in black during the shooting, which occurred 31 miles (50 km) east of San Antonio. Kelley died later after a police chase, as he shot himself in the head.
Kelley had a history of domestic violence and was not supposed to purchase firearms, but he used guns he had bought despite his conviction in a 2012 court martial. In July 2021, U.S. District Judge Xavier Rodriguez found the Air Force 60% responsible for the shooting. They had failed to enter Kelley's plea into a database used for background checks before firearms purchases. Kelley was found 40% responsible for the attack.
In February 2022, damages were imposed, and on Wednesday, the U.S. Department of Justice reached a $144.5 million settlement with more than 75 plaintiffs who were survivors and families of victims. The settlement requires approval from U.S. District Judge Xavier Rodriguez in San Antonio and would end the government's appeal of Rodriguez's order that it pay approximately $230 million.
The settlement follows respective settlements of $88 million and $127.5 million reached by the government with victims of mass shootings at a Charleston, South Carolina church and the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, over alleged errors that might have prevented the attacks. Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta said in a statement that no money could lessen the tragedy of the Sutherland Springs mass shooting. Still, the announcement brings the litigation to a close, ending a painful chapter for the victims of the heinous crime.
