The Slatest

Air Force Failed to Report Sutherland Springs Gunman’s Criminal History

Twenty-six crosses stand in a field on Monday to honor the victims killed at the First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs  in Texas.

Scott Olson/Getty Images

As investigators and reporters searched for information on the gunman who killed 26 at a Baptist church in Texas, they uncovered, unsurprisingly, a history of domestic violence. But further searching has also found that the U.S. Air Force failed to report the gunman’s criminal history to the FBI, making it easier for him to obtain firearms.

The gunman, Devin Patrick Kelley, was court-martialed in 2012 when the Air Force found he had abused his wife and her child. The Air Force records showed that Kelley had “repeatedly struck, kicked and choked his first wife,” according to the New York Times, and the Air Force’s chief prosecutor for the case told the Times that Kelly had “assaulted his stepson severely enough that he fractured his skull.” The prosecution, as part of a plea deal, withdrew charges that he had also repeatedly pointed a loaded gun at his wife. She divorced him while he was in prison.

After getting out, Kelley purchased several guns, according to law enforcement. But he should not have been able to, given his criminal past. On Monday, the Air Force acknowledged that it failed to enter his crimes into the federal database that would have sounded alarms when he later tried to purchase guns. According to the Associated Press, “information about convictions of military personnel for crimes like assault should be submitted to the FBI’s Criminal Justice Investigation Services Division” under Pentagon rules. A 1996 federal law prohibits people convicted of domestic violence from buying firearms.

The Air Force has said it’s looking into how it handled Kelley’s case and is also “taking a comprehensive look at Air Force databases” to check for other oversights, according to the AP.