Uvalde shooting survivors sue law enforcement agencies for $27bn

Lawsuits seeking $6m from gun maker and another against a Texas weapons store have also been filed

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

Survivors of the Uvalde, Texas, primary school shooting are seeking $27 billion in a class-action lawsuit against law-enforcement agencies, a report says.

The plaintiffs in the case include parents, teachers and other faculty members who were at Robb Elementary School on May 24, CNN reported, quoting court documents.

Nineteen pupils and two teachers were shot dead at the school that day. Seventeen others were injured.

The Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District, its police department, the Uvalde Police Department, the Texas Department of Public Safety and people aligned with the agencies are listed as defendants.

Law enforcement agencies responding to the Uvalde shootings were widely condemned for their delayed reaction after receiving calls for help. Last month the Uvalde school district suspended its entire police force.

More than 300 officers arrived at Robb Elementary School, but it took them more than an hour to confront the shooter, who was inside one of the classrooms.

The lawsuit claims officers strayed from established protocols when responding to shootings that are still taking place.

Plaintiffs in the lawsuit say that they have suffered emotional and psychological damages because of the defendants' response to the shooting.

In another lawsuit, survivors and families are seeking $6 million from gun maker Daniel Defense and a Uvalde gun store where Salvador Ramos, the shooter, bought firearms and ammunition.

The lawsuit also seeks to stop the gun maker marketing to young people, claiming Daniel Defense's marketing campaign does not seriously address the risks of firearms.

But suing gun makers has proven challenging. The 2005 Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act, or PLCAA, grants broad protections for gun makers from being sued when their weapons are used for crimes.

The PLCAA has provisions that allow a company to be sued, including for claims when a company has knowingly breached a statute related to the marketing of a product used in a shooting.

Successful lawsuits against gun makers are also not without precedent.

In 2019 a Connecticut court allowed a lawsuit from some families of victims in the 2012 Sandy Hook shooting against Remington, the maker of the AR-15 style-weapon used in the massacre.

The families reached a $73 million settlement with Remington this year.

The settlement was thought to be the first of its kind, according to the Giffords Law Centre to Prevent Gun Violence.