The United States Air Force on Monday admitted that it failed to enter the domestic violence record of the gunman, who killed 26 worshippers in a church in Texas, into a government database that licensed gun sellers use to run background checks on firearms purchasers, Reuters reported.

Under federal law, Devin P Kelley’s conviction for assaulting his wife and stepson, a toddler, should have prevented him from buying the military-style rifle and three other guns that he possessed, The New York Times reported. A sporting goods shop said Kelley passed background checks when he bought two guns there, Reuters reported.

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Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson and Air Force Chief of Staff General David Goldfein said that the Air Force Inspector General had been ordered to “conduct a complete review of the Kelley case,” a statement said.

On Monday, officials said that the gunman was embroiled in a dispute with his in-laws and was sending threatening messages to his mother-in-law.