(NewsSpace.com) – On May 24, 2022, a gunman opened fire at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. The aftermath of the attack was devastating. Two adults and 19 children were brutally murdered, and another 17 were injured. The local authorities were slammed for their inaction and failure to enter the school to confront the shooter, which could have impacted the number of lives lost. Now, the victims’ families are suing the police to hold them accountable.
The families of the 19 children who died filed a lawsuit in Texas on Wednesday, May 22, two days before the second anniversary of the tragic event. They are accusing nearly 100 state police officers of botching their response to what’s been labeled one of the deadliest school shootings to occur in the United States. The families are seeking a minimum of $500 million in damages.
The Uvalde shooting rocked the country. Many compared it to the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting that took place nearly 10 years prior. In that event, 20 children between the ages of 6 and 7 died, along with six adults.
However, the Uvalde shooting differed in that the police response was extremely slow. The shooter was inside with the children for 77 minutes before he was neutralized. Nearly 400 local, state, and federal authorities bore down on the scene, but the reaction was severely delayed. In a news conference, attorney Josh Koskoff, who is representing the plaintiffs, said there were “over 150 some-odd federal officers there who… stood around until one or more breached the room at 77 minutes.” He said, “Sure, that was a heroic act. It was a heroic act 77 minutes late.”
The Justice Department issued a 600-page report in January detailing the events of the day and listing the many failures of law enforcement in what it called “cascading failures” in the areas of leadership, training, and communication. This is the first lawsuit to be filed since the report’s issuance.
Uvalde also reached a $2 million settlement with the victims’ families, in which city officials committed to better training for its police forces and higher standards.
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