In a lawsuit to resolve the Air Force lawsuit over the shooting, plaintiffs’ witnesses gave separate views on what they saw inside the church as gunman Devin Kelley entered and opened fire with an assault rifle. He killed 26 people and injured 22 that day, November 5, 2017.

Stories sometimes come out in the midst of a mixture of emotions or tears.

“I heard gunshots and I heard screams,” said Kris Workman, who was shot in the back and was paralyzed from waist to toe. “I stayed on the ground. I thought my best chance to survive was to pretend to be dead.

He testified much of the afternoon about the grueling pain not only of the shooting, but also of the surgery and the weeks of recovery that followed, and how his life and the lives of others were changed. for ever.

His brother, Kyle Workman, now drives the stock car Kris drove because Kris can’t get in it. Kyle now takes care of Kris’ cattle because Kris can’t do it anymore. Kris was an avid tennis player.

Kyle, who was not shot but injured himself by hitting a doorframe as he rushed to escape the shooting, said he still had vivid memories whenever he heard loud noises.

On ExpressNews.com: Witnesses recount church shooting

“I freeze,” Workman said. “My thought flies away. … I remain silent, stare into space and think about everything that has happened.

Kyle’s wife Morgan Harris was in a sound booth when the shooter entered and fired. Harris suffered shrapnel wounds in one leg and throughout his body. Prior to filming, she was teaching martial arts, going out to dance with then-boyfriend Kyle Workman, and otherwise in good health.

Now she has a condition called drop foot. The difficulty in lifting the anterior part of the foot left her with a gait she did not have before. She must wear a special brace or walk with a cane or cane. Teaching martial arts is out of the question, she said.

She tried all of the medical advice, tried the recommended treatments and devices, but her foot drop didn’t go away.

“It makes me feel broken,” Harris said. “It makes me feel like I’m doing something wrong and not healing properly.”

Beyond that, she ended up with a high level of lead in her body, and a doctor advised her not to conceive due to the potential risks to her and her child. She asked for second, third and fourth opinions. All the doctors agreed that she shouldn’t have children.

“It’s really horrible,” Harris said. “Kyle and I always talked about kids, but we knew it would be in the future. It has always been in our plan. Knowing that I am the reason it is not possible is a huge burden on my shoulders.

Kelley committed suicide after being shot and kicked out of town by two local residents.

In July, U.S. District Judge Xavier Rodriguez said the Air Force was 60 percent responsible for failing to report to an FBI database that Kelley pleaded guilty to domestic violence. The judge found Kelley 40 percent responsible. Reporting Kelley could have prevented him from legally purchasing the weapons he used after the Air Force, including the assault rifle used in the church massacre, the judge said .

The trial is expected to last until next week to determine what damages the Air Force should pay.

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