Family of Nine Victims in Sutherland Springs Shooting Files Claim Alleging Air Force Negligence Over Shooter

The family that lost nine members in the Sutherland Springs church shooting wants to hold the Air Force responsible, alleging that negligence led to the mass murder. The family of Bryan Holcombe filed a claim with the U.S. government Tuesday, the first step to a lawsuit if the Air Force denies responsibility, the San Antonio Express-News reported.Air Force veteran Devin Patrick Kelley killed 26 and wounded 20 others in the Nov. 5 shooting at the First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs southeast of San Antonio. Bryan Holcombe was one of nine members of the Holcombe family, including an unborn child, who were killed. The claim said that the failures of the Air Force and others allowed Kelley to acquire the semiautomatic rifle, ammunition and body armor he used the Sutherland Springs massacre. "...it is these failures that were a proximate cause, in whole or in part, of the injuries and death of the decedent," the claim said.Kelley had a domestic violence conviction in 2012 stemming from an attack on his wife and infant stepson while he was in the Air Force, which should have kept him from purchasing the rifle used in the massacre along with others he acquired. He served 12 months in jail and received a bad conduct discharge. In the days after the shooting, the Air Force admitted it had never entered the conviction in a federal database. The Air Force has launched its own review following the shooting.Before a suit can move forward, the Holcombes first have to file an administrative claim. The Air Force has six months to admit or deny the Holcombe's claim. If the agency admits negligence, they can agree to pay out a settlement.  Continue reading...