Could the deaths of 21 people have been prevented? The relatives of the victims of the shooting spree at a primary school in Uvalde are convinced of this. They are now suing for high compensation.
Victims and survivors of the May 2022 elementary school massacre in Uvalde, Texas have filed a class action lawsuit against police, the city and other officials. They are seeking $27 billion in compensation, according to court documents. They accuse the police of not stopping the shooter quickly enough.
More than 75 minutes after the 18-year-old opened fire, emergency services entered the classroom and killed him. The attack at Robb Elementary School killed 21 people, including 19 children. The attacker shot his victims in two connected classrooms with an assault rifle. Recently released audio recordings suggest that the police chief in Uvalde was informed half an hour before the police entered the classroom that there were children in the classroom where the shooter lived.
The city of Uvalde had previously taken legal action. She filed a lawsuit against Uvalde County Attorney Christina Mitchell. The reason given was that Mitchell was preventing the city's independent investigator from accessing key evidence of the May 24 mass shooting.
The city requested an injunction to compel prosecutors to release extensive confidential investigative records so the city could complete its own review. This includes body camera footage from the various law enforcement agencies who entered the school, surveillance footage and instructions given to investigators. This is to help evaluate and gauge the officers' response to the Robb School incident. The question is whether policies were violated and disciplinary action is required, the lawsuit states. The Uvalde police chief in office at the time of the massacre resigned in November, and the school district police chief was fired in August.
