By JIM VERTUNO
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — City leaders in Uvalde, Texas, approved a $2 million settlement for families of the victims of the 2022 Robb Elementary School shooting, marking the first time one of the myriad lawsuits has led to financial compensation.
Attorneys for the families first announced the terms of the settlement with the city in May 2024, and it was approved by the Uvalde city council Tuesday night.
The settlement with the city will spread the $2 million among the 21 families of the victims killed in one of the deadliest school shootings in U.S. history, said Javier Cazares, whose daughter Jackie was one of 19 fourth-graders killed by the gunman. Two teachers were also killed.
The suit addresses the botched law enforcement response by requiring enhanced training for city police officers. It also expands mental health services available to the families and the greater Uvalde area, sets May 24 as an annual day of remembrance, and establishes a permanent memorial in the city plaza.
“This is a small win in a larger battle and a lot of injustice we are still going through,” Cazares told The Associated Press. “I couldn’t care less about the money.”
Uvalde is a city of about 15,000 people about 80 miles west of San Antonio. Uvalde Mayor Hector Luevano said the city’s settlement included “restorative justice initiatives for the families” but declined to discuss details. He did not say why it took nearly a year to approve the previously announced deal.
“The City of Uvalde is committed to honoring the memories of the lives lost, families of the victims, survivors and those affected by this tragedy,” Luevano said.
The families have several other lawsuits pending in federal and state courts, including a $500 million lawsuit against Texas state police officials and officers. There’s also a suit against social media company Meta Platforms and the company that made video game ”Call of Duty,” as well as Daniel Defense, the maker of the rifle used in the attack.
Multiple reports from state and federal officials have laid bare cascading problems in law enforcement training, communication, leadership and technology, and questioned whether officers prioritized their own lives over those of children and teachers.
FILE – Crosses are surrounded by flowers and other items at a memorial, June 9, 2022, for the victims of a shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. (AP Photo/Eric Gay, File)
More than 370 responding officers from multiple local, state and federal agencies waited more than an hour to confront and kill the gunman.
Two former Uvalde schools police officers, Pete Arredondo and Adrian Gonzales, face criminal charges of child endangerment and abandonment and are scheduled for trial later this year, but they remain the only two officers charged. They have pleaded not guilty.
The track record for lawsuits following mass shootings is mixed. Over the past decade, courts have tossed numerous attempts, many of which brought negligence claims against the government or the places where the attacks took place. But some get results for victims and their families.
In 2020, the casino company MGM Resorts International and its insurers agreed to an $800 million settlement over a shooting on the Las Vegas Strip that killed 58 people and injured hundreds more.
In April 2023, the Justice Department announced a $144 million settlement with relatives and families of a 2017 Texas church attack, which was carried out by a former U.S. airman with a criminal history.
An attorney for the Uvalde families in the recent settlement with the city said they did not want to bankrupt their community — and that the settlement will be paid through the city’s insurance coverage.
“Faced with a difficult decision, these families worked with the community they love to make things right without creating deeper economic hardship,” attorney Josh Koskoff said. “The road to healing is long and painful, but we are hopeful that this agreement enables families who lost so much and the city they call home to continue that process.”
