Uvalde mass shooting survivors file $27 billion class-action lawsuit

Survivors of the Uvalde, Texas mass shooting have filed a $27 billion class-action lawsuit against the city, the school district, multiple law enforcement agencies and individual officers present during the fateful massacre.

As previously reported by REVOLT, on May 24, a gunman entered Robb Elementary School and claimed the lives of 19 students and two teachers. Following the tragedy, city officials faced extreme criticism regarding how the situation was handled. Reports revealed the shooter was inside the school for more than an hour before the threat was eliminated. Today (Dec. 2), NPR published an article announcing the lawsuit was filed inside a federal court in Austin, Texas on Tuesday (Nov. 29). In the documents, Uvalde’s Consolidated Independent School District’s police department, the Uvalde Police Department, the Texas Department of Public Safety and officers from each of these agencies are named as defendants.

Last month, Lt. Mariano Pargas resigned from his position with the Uvalde Police Department. After 18 years with the organization, Pargas stepped down following scrutiny for having more than 400 officers available, yet not saving lives immediately. In June, Steve McCraw, director of the Texas Department of Public Safety, discussed the situation with NPR. “The officers had weapons. The children had none. The officers had body armor, but the children had none. The officers had training. The subject had none,” McCraw said.

In the current lawsuit, teachers, other school staff, students and parents who witnessed the traumatic mass shooting are listed as plaintiffs. An excerpt from the complaint reads, “Law enforcement took 77 minutes to accomplish what they were duty bound to expeditiously perform.” The city shared that in light of the ongoing lawsuit, they are unable to comment on the situation until the issue is resolved. “The city has not been served and does not comment on pending litigation,” a statement explained.