Texas shooter Devin Kelley bought 2 guns at Colorado Springs store, passed background checks

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The owner of a gun store in Colorado Springs confirmed Wednesday that Devin Kelley, the man accused of killing 26 at a Texas church on Sunday, bought two weapons at his store and passed background checks for each.

The weapons were bought in two different years, according to the owner of Specialty Sports and Supply, who said he had spoken with agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).

Federal officials had previously said that Kelley had purchased four guns over the past four years: two were bought at an outdoor retailer in San Antonio in 2016 and 2017, and the two that were bought in Colorado in the two years prior.

Kelley had three guns with him during the shooting in Sutherland Springs, according to the ATF. He had a Ruger AR-556 rifle, which was used in the shooting at the church and was confirmed to have been bought in Texas.

Authorities also recovered two pistols on Kelley’s person when he was found dead inside his truck in a ditch after he was shot by a Good Samaritan and fled the church.

One was a Glock .9mm, while the other was a Ruger .22-caliber handgun. Officials haven’t identified the fourth weapon Kelley bought.

But at least one of the two handguns found in his vehicle was bought at the Colorado Springs store, which the owner confirmed to Denver7.

On Monday afternoon, the Associated Press reported that the U.S. Air Force failed to submit Kelley’s criminal history to the FBI’s Criminal Justice Investigation Services Division, which allowed him to buy the weapons despite a military conviction for assaulting his wife and infant child.

The Department of Defense’s Inspector General and top Air Force officials are now reviewing why Kelley’s criminal history wasn’t sent to the National Crime Information Center. Several Colorado lawmakers have also called for a full review of the reporting program, beyond just Kelley’s incident.

Kelley came to Colorado sometime after he received a bad conduct discharge from the Air Force. He was charged with animal cruelty for beating and dragging a dog at a trailer park where he was staying in 2014, but the charge was dismissed after Kelley completed 18 months’ probation.