SAN ANTONIO – A new lawsuit has been filed against Academy Sports & Outdoors by 56 individuals who were shot or are family members of the victims of the Sutherland Springs church shooting.
The lawsuit states that it seeks to end Academy’s practice of illegally selling high-capacity assault rifles to residents of states that ban them.
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CNN reported Devin Kelley purchased a Ruger AR-556 rifle from an Academy in the San Antonio area in April 2016.
The shooting occurred on Nov. 5, 2017, when Kelley opened fire at worshippers at the First Baptist Church.
At the time of the purchase, Kelley's address was listed as being in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
The lawsuit claims Academy broke federal law when it sold Kelley the firearm, which is illegal in his state of residence.
Colorado and several other states have laws prohibiting the possession of high-capacity assault-style weapons; similar to the one used in Sutherland Springs.
The lawsuit was filed Wednesday and follows a decision on Feb. 4 from the Bexar County District Court denying Academy Sports & Outdoors’ request that victims’ lawsuits be dismissed.
A jury will now decide whether Academy will be forced to follow existing gun laws and end the practice of selling high-capacity assault rifles to visitors from states that ban them, as well as whether Academy is responsible for damages.
The lawsuit states each individual is asking for monetary relief over $1 million.
The plaintiffs in this case have not previously been involved in other lawsuits.