US Justice Dept agrees to civil settlements in 2017 church mass shooting

Washington, April 6 The US Department of Justice (DOJ) announced an agreement in principle to settle the civil cases arising from the 2017 mass shooting at a church in Sutherland Springs, Texas.

These tentative settlements will resolve claims by more than 75 plaintiffs arising out of the shooting at the First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs on November 5, 2017, which left 26 worshippers dead and 22 others injured, reports Xinhua news agency.

Plaintiffs' claims alleged that the US Air Force was negligent when it failed to transmit to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) information about the shooter that would have prevented him from purchasing guns from a federally licensed firearms dealer.

A federal district court in Texas concluded that the US was liable for damages caused by the shooting, according to the DOJ.

This tentative settlement would resolve the pending appeals.

The agreement in principle would settle all claims for a total of $144.5 million.

The settlement agreement has been approved, subject to the plaintiffs' securing the required court approvals.

"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 late Wednesday.

"Today's announcement brings the litigation to a close, ending a painful chapter for the victims of this unthinkable crime," Gupta said.

Devin Patrick Kelley, of New Braunfels, Texas, carried out the mass shooting before killing himself.

The shooter was prohibited by law from purchasing guns due to a domestic violence conviction in a court-martial while in the Air Force.