The families of the victims of the Robb Elementary School shooting in 2022 reached a $2 million settlement on Tuesday.
The final agreement comes almost a year after it was first announced and only a month before the incident's third anniversary. The shooting involved a teenage gunman who stormed into two adjoining classrooms in Robb Elementary School, in Uvalde, Texas, killing 10 kids and two teachers.
Uvalde School Shooting Settlement
The settlement will have Uvalde paying the families of the victims a total of $2 million from its insurance coverage as part of the agreement. Previously, the victims' families said they would not seek a higher payout from the city to avoid bankrupting the city they call home.
The families are also seeking damages from other institutions, including the Texas state police, involved in the failed response to the mass shooting. Josh Koskoff, an attorney representing 19 victims' families, said that they worked with the community to make things right without creating deeper economic hardship, according to CNN.
Koskoff said they are hoping that the agreement enables families of the victims who lost so much during the incident to continue to heal. Uvalde Mayor Hector Luevano said that nothing could make up for the losses and grief that the families endured on May 24, 2022.
However, the mayor said that the settlement marks a crucial step forward in advancing community healing. Luevano added that it also helps ensure that the city forever honors the lives that were tragically lost during the horrific tragedy.
Additionally, Luevano said that the city also plans to work with committee representatives of the families for a permanent memorial. Following the mass shooting, several lawsuits were filed seeking accountability for the law enforcement response to the incident, NBC News reported.
Supporting Law Enforcement
The mayor added that the settlement also affirms the city's commitment to supporting the Uvalde Police Department's Guardian initiative. This includes enhanced emergency training and evaluation for officers as well as mental health support.
Families of the victims of the shooting have many other lawsuits pending in federal and state courts. One of these is a $500 million lawsuit against Texas state police officials and officers for their failed response to the incident.
There is another suit against social media company Meta Platforms, the company that made the video game "Call of Duty," and Daniel Defense, the maker of the rifle that the gunman used in the attack in 2022, as per the Associated Press.
Originally published on parentherald.com
