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CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — A judge says Charleston church shooting survivors can continue pursuing lawsuits accusing the FBI of negligence they say enabled Dylann Roof to buy the gun used in the attack.
U.S. District Judge Richard Gergel ruled Thursday.
The FBI had sought to dismiss lawsuits filed by lawyers for three people who survived the attack and the estates of five slain inside Emanuel AME Church in June 2015.
The complaints argue Roof's prior drug arrest would have shown up and that the bureau would have denied his purchase of a .45-caliber handgun if the nation's top law enforcement agency had done its job.
Lexington County Sheriff Jay Koon told The Associated Press a clerk entered incorrect information for Roof's prior arrest, which prevented an FBI examiner from finding the details.
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