The families of 19 of the victims in the Uvalde elementary school shooting in Texas on Wednesday filed a $500 million federal lawsuit against nearly 100 state police officers who were part of the botched law enforcement response to one of the deadliest school shootings in U.S. history.
The families said they also agreed to a $2 million settlement with the city, under which city leaders promised higher standards and better training for local police.
The lawsuit and settlement announcement in Uvalde came two days before the two-year anniversary of the massacre. Nineteen fourth-graders and two teachers were killed on May 24, 2022, when a teenage gunman burst into their classroom at Robb Elementary School and began shooting.
The lawsuit, seeking at least $500 million in damages, is the latest of several seeking accountability for the law enforcement response. More than 370 federal, state and local officers converged on the scene, but they waited more than 70 minutes before confronting the shooter.
How are you getting that from what I wrote? I’m saying it’s a basic human instinct that when you hear a child in distress you find yourself moving toward that child, whether it’s yours or not. There were a lot of police there, and none of them acted on that instinct. I’m agreeing with you. It’s insane that none of those people, many if not most of whom were parents, acted on that natural instinct to protect children.
I find it particularly grim that their training must be excellent at subverting basic human emotions but apparently doesn’t do anything to help them actually protect and serve. It’s clearly effective, it’s just horrifying what they’re training them to be.
Sorry, I didn’t fully process what you had wrote as this whole thing is insanely distressing.
I totally get it. I’m a parent and it screwed me up pretty bad and I still randomly think about it without any prompting. It’s shameful that it happened and it’s shameful that nothing will be done about it.