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Crosses for the victims of Sutherland Springs
Photo: Eric Gay / dpa
In 2017, ex-soldier Devin Patrick Kelley killed 26 people in a church.
The US Air Force has now been ordered to pay more than 230 million dollars (202 million euros) in compensation more than five years after the violent crime.
A federal judge awarded damages to the survivors and bereaved families of the attack.
The government failed to forward the perpetrator's criminal record to the FBI, it said in support of the verdict.
The plaintiffs had taken legal action against the government for failing to prevent Kelley, who had previously been convicted, from obtaining weapons legally.
According to a report in the New York Times, a spokeswoman for the US Air Force has announced that she will appeal the verdict.
Military did not report conviction
The gunman had gone unnoticed during mandatory background checks for gun buyers because the Air Force, in which he had served, failed to report his two domestic violence convictions.
Because of his conviction in a domestic violence count, Kelley was actually banned by law from buying or owning firearms.
However, Kelley has acquired several guns in recent years.
The Air Force had improperly released data on Kelley to the FBI.
The 26-year-old ex-soldier and security guard Kelley opened fire in a church in Sutherland Springs on November 5, 2017, killing at least 26 people.
20 other people were injured, some seriously.
The shooter was found dead in his car after he shot himself.
mrc/AFP
