A federal lawsuit has been filed against eight entities and three people over the May shooting that killed 19 pupils and two teachers at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas.
The lawsuit, first reported by The San Antonio Express-News, was filed on Wednesday in US District Court in Del Rio by one parent whose child was wounded in the shooting and two parents whose children were on campus at the time.
Lawyers for the parents say it is the first federal lawsuit related to the attack.
“The horrors of May 24, 2022, were only possible because so many in positions of power were negligent, careless and reckless,” a statement from Stephanie Sherman, one of the lawyers representing the parents, said.
“We are already hearing that many [pupils] are scared for their lives,” said Monique Alarcon, the other lawyer for the parents. “This case is about ensuring that they have access to the care and resources they need.”
The lawsuit alleges a breach of due process rights, negligence emotional distress and other infractions by the Uvalde school district, the city, firearms maker Daniel Defence, gun dealer Oasis Outback and firearms accessory maker Firequest International.
Also named are radio communication device maker Motorola Solutions, door-lock maker Schneider Electric USA, fired school police chief Pete Arredondo, suspended police Lt Mariano Pargas, who was acting city police chief at the time.
The police response to the shooting was sharply criticised, as nearly 400 officers responded but waited more than an hour before confronting and killing the gunman.
School principal Mandy Gutierrez, who was reinstated three days after being suspended when she rebutted a sharply critical legislative committee report alleging a “culture of complacency” at the school, is also named in the lawsuit.
The lawsuit alleges Motorola’s products failed to operate inside the school, “leaving first responders without information communicated from dispatch and/or other first responders” and that “Schneider Electric’s doors failed to lock as designed after being shut”.
The accused declined to comment or did not return messages to The Associated Press on Thursday.
The lawsuit seeks unspecified punitive damages from each of the accused except the school district and the city, which are exempted by state law from such awards.
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Alanna De Leon writes the name of her friend, Annabelle Rodriguez, who died in the shooting. AFP -
Pallbearers carry the coffin of Amerie Jo Garza into Sacred Heart Catholic Church. AP -
Pallbearers carry the coffin of Amerie Jo Garza, who died in the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School. AFP -
A memorial in Town Square, Uvalde, Texas, for victims of the Robb Elementary school shooting. Reuters -
A woman places a rose on Layla Salazar’s memorial cross, who was one of the victims that died in the shooting. Reuters -
Bags with brisket sandwiches and a snack that will be sold at a fundraiser for families of the victims. Reuters -
Ashtyn Leigh, 18, hands a man a brisket meal. Reuters -
A choir sings in front of the memorial. Reuters -
People pray in front of memorial crosses. Reuters -
Nineteen children and two adults were killed in the shooting. AFP -
People visit a memorial for the victims. AFP -
Flowers are left outside the school. AFP -
Twenty-one empty chairs are seen outside of a daycare center as a memorial for the victims. AP Photo -
Football teammates of Tess Mata, who died in the Texas school shooting, cry as they visit a makeshift memorial outside the Uvalde County Courthouse. AFP -
A football teammate of shooting victim Tess Mata cries, supported by her mother. AFP -
Texas police faced angry questions over why it took an hour to stop the gunman who murdered 19 children and two teachers in Uvalde, as video emerged of desperate parents begging officers to storm the school. AFP -
Activists join Senate Democrats outside the Capitol, in Washington, to demand action on gun control legislation after the killings at the Texas elementary school this week. AP -
The George R Brown Convention Centre, site of the National Rifle Association annual convention. Days after the deadliest mass school shooting in Texas history, the gun lobbyist group is meeting in Houston, from Friday until Sunday. Reuters -
Pastor Carlos Contreras preaches to his congregation as photos of some of the children killed in the mass shooting at Robb Elementary flash on the screen at Primera Iglesia Bautista, in Uvalde. Reuters -
People march after a vigil held to stand with the Uvalde families and demand an end to gun violence in Newtown, Connecticut. AP -
A woman holds up a banner at the end of the vigil in Newtown, Connecticut. AP -
Newtown was the scene of the 2012 attack at Sandy Hook Elementary School, when 20 pupils and six teachers were killed by a gunman. AP -
Candles are lit for each victim as people pray at St Philip's Episcopal Church. EPA -
A makeshift memorial in front of Robb Elementary School. AFP -
Omahar Padillo with his son Omahar Jr, 12, during a community prayer, in Pharr, Texas, for the shooting victims at Robb Elementary School. AP -
Omahar Padillo Jr, 12, and his sister Samantha, 9, with their mother, Silvia Padillo, write messages in support of the victims at Robb Elementary School. AP -
A vigil for the victims of the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School. AFP -
A young mourner at the vigil in Uvalde, Texas. AFP -
Families at the vigil. AFP -
A woman holds a photo of Nevaeh Bravo, who was killed in the mass shooting, during a vigil for the victims of the massacre in Uvalde, Texas. AFP -
Uvalde County Sheriff Ruben Nolasco is comforted by Senator Ted Cruz during a vigil at the Uvalde County Fairplex Arena. AP -
Diana Karau of Uvalde with a therapy dog named Tritan before a vigil to honour those killed at Robb Elementary. AP -
Gun-control advocates Dana Cibulski, left, and Judi Giannini attend a vigil outside the National Rifle Association headquarters in Fairfax, Virginia after the mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas. AFP -
Uziyah Garcia, 8, was among those killed in the shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. AP -
Pastor Jaime Cabralez, the uncle of shooting victim 10-year-old Eliahana Cruz Torres, is surrounded in prayer at his church in Uvalde, Texas on Wednesday. Reuters -
A woman embraces a child outside Willie de Leon Civic Centre, in Uvalde, where pupils were taken after the school shooting. Bloomberg -
Gun-control advocates hold a vigil outside the National Rifle Association (NRA) headquarters in Fairfax, Virginia. AFP -
A woman and child leave the Civic Centre. Reuters
