Sutherland Springs — The family who lost nine of its members in the Sutherland Springs church shooting filed a lawsuit against the federal government after they say officials failed to act within the necessary six-month window following the family's claim against the United States Air Force.
The Holcombe family's initial claim against the Air Force in November stated the agency was negligent in its handling of the church shooter, Devin Kelley's information; which could have prevented him from purchasing firearms.
Claryce Holcombe and Joe Holcombe lost their son, Bryan Holcombe, along with eight other family members in the shooting at First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs on November 5 of last year.
A press release sent to KENS 5 read:
Attorney Rob Ammons filed a notice of claim six months ago in federal court requesting answers as to why the Air Force failed to provide key information to the FBI that should have prevented Devin Patrick Kelley from purchasing firearms. The federal government had a six-month window to determine their action and respond, but has done nothing but ask for more information from the Holcombe family. The federal government will now be served with the lawsuit and it will be compelled to file an answer to the lawsuit within 27 days of service. Papa Joe and Claryce are committed to making sure no other family has to suffer such a devastating preventable loss.
The Air Force acknowledged they did not report the required information to law enforcement in Kelley's case, and similar reporting lapses occurred at other air force bases.
They say they have since started to correct the mistakes, and over the next several months they aim to have all airmen with criminal offenses in the database and proper information handed over to the FBI.
"Under a 1996 law preventing spouse and child abusers from possessing firearms, the service’s Office of Special Investigations should have entered that conviction into an FBI database,” says the family’s attorney Rob Ammons. "The office didn’t, the Air Force has admitted. What’s more, the acts Kelley pleaded guilty to — breaking his baby stepson’s skull and hitting and kicking his then-wife — were punishable by imprisonment of more than a year. That qualifies them as felonies, which must be entered into the database.”