A federal judge ruled Wednesday that the negligence of the United States government was mostly responsible for the 2017 mass shooting at a church in Sutherland Springs, Texas, one of the deadliest mass shootings in recent history.
US District Judge Xavier Rodriguez for the Western District of Texas concluded the Air Force failed to exercise reasonable care when it didn’t submit the shooter’s criminal history to the FBI’s background check system, which increased the risk of physical harm to the general public. «Moreover, the evidence shows that — had the Government done its job and properly reported Kelley’s information into the background check system — it is more likely than not that Kelley would have been deterred from carrying out the Church shooting,» the ruling stated. «For these reasons, the Government bears significant responsibility for the Plaintiffs’ harm.» The court found the government 60% responsible for the harm that happened in the shooting and «jointly and severally liable for the damages that may be awarded.» The ruling was signed on Tuesday and comes after a suit brought by survivors of the shooting and relatives of those killed or injured. The judge’s order states that no other individual — not even the shooter’s parents or partners — knew as much as the government did about his violent history and the violence he was capable of committing.
