Uvalde Families Sue Texas Police for Botched Shooting Response

Introduction

The families of 19 victims of the Uvalde elementary school shooting in Texas have filed a $500 million federal lawsuit against nearly 100 state police officers involved in the flawed law enforcement response to one of the deadliest school shootings in U.S. history.

Additionally, they have reached a $2 million settlement with the city, which includes promises for higher standards and better training for local police.

The lawsuit and settlement were announced just two days before the second anniversary of the massacre. On May 24, 2022, a teenage gunman entered Robb Elementary School, killing 19 fourth-graders and two teachers. The lawsuit, which seeks at least $500 million in damages, is one of several attempts to hold law enforcement accountable for their response.

More than 370 federal, state, and local officers were at the scene, but they waited over 70 minutes before confronting the shooter.

This lawsuit follows a 600-page Justice Department report released in January, which documented “cascading failures” in training, communication, leadership, and technology. According to the lawsuit, state troopers did not follow their active shooter training or confront the shooter, despite students and teachers following lockdown protocols by turning off lights, locking doors, and staying silent.

“The protocols trap teachers and students inside, leaving them fully reliant on law enforcement to respond quickly and effectively,” the families and their attorneys said in a statement. During the attack, terrified students inside the classroom called 911, while parents outside begged officers to intervene. Eventually, a tactical team entered the classroom and killed the shooter.

“Law enforcement’s inaction that day was a complete and absolute betrayal of these families and the sons, daughters, and mothers they lost,” said an attorney for the families. “TXDPS had the resources, training, and firepower to respond appropriately, and they ignored all of it and failed on every level. These families have not only the right but also the responsibility to demand justice.”

A criminal investigation into the police response is ongoing. A grand jury has been summoned, and some law enforcement officials have been called to testify. The latest lawsuit names 92 Texas Department of Public Safety officials and troopers, as well as the Uvalde School District, the former Robb Elementary Principal, and the former Uvalde schools police Chief. The state police response included nearly 150 U.S. Border Patrol agents.

Among the defendants are two troopers who were fired, another who left the agency, and several others who were investigated. The highest-ranking DPS official named is the South Texas Regional Director. The Texas DPS declined to comment on pending litigation. The plaintiffs are the families of 17 children killed and two others who were wounded.

A separate lawsuit filed in December 2022 by different plaintiffs against local and state police, the city, and other entities seeks at least $27 billion and class-action status for survivors. Additionally, two other lawsuits have been filed against Georgia-based gun manufacturer Daniel Defense, which made the AR-style rifle used by the gunman.

The families' settlement with the city, capped at $2 million to avoid bankrupting the community, will be paid from the city’s insurance coverage. “The last thing they want to do was inflict financial hardship on their friends and neighbors in this community. Their friends and neighbors didn’t let them down,” said one of the attorneys for the families during a news conference in Uvalde.

The city of Uvalde released a statement expressing hope that the settlement would bring “healing and restoration” to the community. “We will forever be grateful to the victims’ families for working with us over the past year to cultivate an environment of community-wide healing that honors the lives and memories of those we tragically lost. May 24th is our community’s greatest tragedy,” the city said.

However, the father of a slain 9-year-old noted the sparse attendance at the announcement, held in the same Uvalde Civic Center where families learned their children were dead or wounded. “On the way over here, I saw the sticker, which I see everywhere, ‘Uvalde Strong.’ If that was the case, this room should be filled, and then some. Show your support. It’s been an unbearable two years. ... No amount of money is worth the lives of our children. Justice and accountability has always been my main concern.”

Under the settlement, the city agreed to a new “fitness for duty” standard and enhanced training for Uvalde police officers. It also establishes May 24 as an annual day of remembrance, a permanent memorial in the city plaza, and support for mental health services for the families and the greater Uvalde area.

The police response to the mass shooting has been criticized by state and federal authorities. A 600-page Justice Department report in January catalogued “cascading failures” in training, communication, leadership, and technology. Another report commissioned by the city noted numerous missteps by law enforcement but defended local police actions, which angered victims' families.

“For two long years, we have languished in pain and without any accountability from the law enforcement agencies and officers who allowed our families to be destroyed that day,” said a woman whose daughter and nephew were killed. “This settlement reflects a first good faith effort, particularly by the City of Uvalde, to begin rebuilding trust in the systems that failed to protect us.”

Comments