Uvalde families reach settlement with city, sue Texas police over alleged failures to respond

The families of Victims of the 2022 Robb Elementary School shooting reached a $2 million settlement with the city of Uvalde and filed a new lawsuit against Texas law enforcement officers over the massacre.

The settlement damages, according to a statement shared with Rolling rock, will be distributed to the families of the 17 children who were killed, as well as the families of the two children who were injured (a total of 19 students were killed, along with two teachers). The agreement also includes several items aimed at improving Uvalde's police force and helping the community heal.

As part of the settlement, Uvalde officials said they will work to hire more qualified police officers and implement new training procedures as well as a “fitness for duty” standard. The city said it will also fund a permanent memorial to the victims, provide mental health services to survivors and families and designate May 24, the day of the shooting, as an official day of remembrance.

The $2 million settlement mostly avoids a lawsuit, which the plaintiffs acknowledged could be a long and expensive ordeal that could bankrupt the city (“something neither family was interested in as they looked for the community to heal” statement announcing the settlement is noted).

Veronica Luevanos, whose daughter Jayla and nephew Jace died in the shooting, said: “For two long years, we have been in pain and without any accountability from the law enforcement agencies and officers who allowed our families to be destroyed. the day. This settlement reflects a first good faith effort, particularly by the City of Uvalde, to begin to rebuild trust in the systems that have failed to protect us.”

Law enforcement officials' response to the 2022 massacre has been described as a major failure following investigations by both the Department of Justice and the Texas House of Representatives. Officials infamously waited outside Robb Elementary for over an hour before finally entering and confronting the gunman, who was killed inside a classroom.

As such, the new lawsuit against 92 Texas Department of Public Safety officers accuses the officers of not doing enough to stop the gunman during the massacre. “These officers were so terrified that they chose to drop their burden on the Uvalde community: To step between a very dangerous person and a child,” said Josh Koskoff, the families' attorney.

The lawsuit also names as defendants the Uvalde School District and several employees, including the school district's principal and police chief at the time of the shooting. The families claimed the school's lockdown procedures, such as turning off the lights and locking the doors, exacerbated the damage as it left them “completely dependent on law enforcement to respond.”

Koskoff added that the families plan to file a lawsuit against the federal government, as more than 150 federal officers were also present during the shooting.

“Justice and accountability have always been the main concern — we've been let down so many times,” said Javier Cazares, whose 9-year-old daughter, Jackie, was one of the victims (via ABC News). “It's time to do the right thing.”