Texas shooting victims reach $144.5M settlement with DOJ

The Department of Justice (DOJ) has reached a tentative $144.5 million settlement agreement with the victims of a 2017 shooting at a church in Sutherland Springs, Texas, the department announced on Wednesday.

The settlement would resolve the federal government’s drawn-out legal battle with the families of the victims and survivors of the mass shooting after a federal judge found the government at least partially responsible for the attack.

“No words or amount of money can diminish the immense tragedy of the mass shooting in Sutherland Springs,” Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta said in a statement. “Today’s announcement brings the litigation to a close, ending a painful chapter for the victims of this unthinkable crime.”

A former member of the U.S. Air Force, Devin Kelley, opened fire at First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs during its Sunday services on Nov. 5, 2017, killing 26 people and injuring 22 more. 

U.S. District Judge Xavier Rodriguez found the government 60 percent responsible for the attack, after the Air Force failed to report Kelley’s criminal history to the FBI. 

“[T]he 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,” Rodriguez said in the July 2021 ruling.

The U.S. government, which was ordered to pay $230 million to the victims of the shooting, had appealed the ruling in June 2022.