Judge Deliberates in Sutherland Springs Church Shooting Civil Trial Defense in civil trial argues gunman would have obtained guns illegally even if he'd been blocked legally Published 3 hours ago • Updated 3 hours ago NBCUniversal, Inc. A federal judge will decide whether the government bears some blame for the Nov. 5, 2017 shooting in Sutherland Springs that left 26 people dead. Family members of some of the victims filed a civil lawsuit against the United States claiming the U.S. Air Force failed to enter Devin Patrick Kelley's court-martial, prison sentence, and dishonorable discharge in 2014 into the federal database used for background checks. Download our NBC DFW mobile app for Apple or Android to get alerts for local breaking news and weather.