The Air Force is now admitting that its own incompetence contributed to Sunday’s Texas massacre. Gunman Devin Kelley, 26, had previously received a dishonorable discharge after brutally beating his wife and child. He spent one year in military prison and received a demotion in rank.
His crime should have been enough to prevent him from obtaining a gun, but Air Force officials failed to report his misdeeds. Kelley had no difficulty purchasing the weapons.
According to the Daily Mail: “In Texas, anyone convicted of serious domestic assault is barred from buying a firearm until five years after they have been released… Kelley’s criminal record should have prevented him from being able to buy a gun until at least 2019.”
Kelley was in the Air Force for a few years until he was court-martialed in 2012. Records indicate that during the attack on his family, Kelley fractured the skull of his infant stepson. Many believe that he deserved to a harsher sentence than just a year in prison.
“Initial information indicates that Kelley’s domestic violence offense was not entered into the National Criminal Information Center database by the Holloman Air Force Base Office of Special Investigations,” the Air Force said in a statement.
“The Air Force has also requested that the Department of Defense Inspector General review records and procedures across the Department of Defense.”
It’s surprising that the military committed an error of such magnitude. 26 people died in Kelley’s attack. Would they still be alive if Air Force officials had done their job?
(Source: Daily Mail)