Uvalde Families Are Going After State Police

One lawsuit is filed, another is settled with the city for $2M
By John Johnson,  Newser Staff
Posted May 22, 2024 2:57 PM CDT
Uvalde Families Are Going After State Police
Families of the victims in the Uvalde elementary school shooting listen to attorney Josh Koskoff during a news conference, Wednesday, May 22, 2024, in Uvalde, Texas.   (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

Wednesday brought two big developments for families of victims of the Uvalde school shooting two years ago:

  • Settlement: The city of Uvalde settled a lawsuit with relatives of 17 of the children who were killed and two who were wounded, reports the New York Times. The city will pay a total of $2 million, revamp its police department and improve training, and create a permanent memorial to the victims. The amount was capped at $2 million because families said they didn't want to bankrupt the city. The teenage gunman killed 19 fourth-graders and two teachers on May 24, 2022.

  • New lawsuit: The same group announced a suit against roughly 100 state police officers who were part of the larger police force that waited 77 minutes outside the school before engaging the gunman, per the AP. These officers from the Texas Department of Public Safety "have yet to face a shred of accountability for cowering in fear while my daughter and nephew bled to death in their classroom," said Veronica Luevanos, referring to daughter Jailah and nephew Jayce, per CNN.
  • Also named: The new lawsuit also names the Uvalde School District, former Robb Elementary Principal Mandy Gutierrez, and former Uvalde schools police Chief Peter Arredondo as defendants.
(More Uvalde mass shooting stories.)

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