The U.S. Department of Justice has reached an agreement in principle to settle civil cases filed in response to a mass shooting at the First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs, Tex., in November 2017 which left 26 worshipers dead and 22 others injured.
"These tentative settlements will resolve claims by more than 75 plaintiffs arising out of the shooting," the DOJ stated in its April 5 announcement. "This tentative settlement would resolve the pending appeals."
The plaintiffs claimed the Air Force was negligent for failing to provide information about the shooter to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), that would have stopped the shooter from legally obtaining firearms from a federally authorized firearms dealer, the news release states.
"The NICS plays a critical role in combating gun violence, and the federal government is always striving to improve the functioning of that system," the DOJ states in the news release. "The department continues to work actively to combat gun violence as part of its comprehensive violent crime reduction strategy."
A federal district court in Texas came to the conclusion that the United States was responsible for the harm brought on by the shooting, according to the release. The agreement in principle would pay out $144.5 million to resolve all claims; and pending appeals would be resolved by this provisional agreement, the release reports.
The agreement is approved, pending the plaintiffs' receiving required court approvals, the release states; applicable laws mandate court approval for some aspects of the settlement.
“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 the release. "Today’s announcement brings the litigation to a close, ending a painful chapter for the victims of this unthinkable crime.”
