US Justice Dept. reaches $144.5 million tentative agreement with Texas church shooting victims

By Servet Gunerigok

WASHINGTON (AA) - The US Justice Department announced Wednesday an agreement in principle to settle civil cases stemming from a 2017 mass shooting in the state of 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 that killed 26 worshippers and injured 22 others, according to a statement.

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

The Air Force was at fault for not transmitting crucial information about the shooter to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), which would have barred him from buying guns from a federally licensed firearms dealer, according to the plaintiffs.

"No words or amount of money can diminish the immense tragedy of the mass shooting in Sutherland Springs," said US Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta.

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

The attacker, dressed in black tactical gear and wearing a ballistics vest, was carrying what authorities said was an "assault-type rifle." He opened fire, killing his victims, many of them children, on Nov. 5, 2017.