The family of the Uvalde shooting victim sued technology and weapons companies on Friday for “wrongful death.”
In two lawsuits filed in California and Texas respectively, the families accuse companies including Meta, Call of Duty maker Activision and weapons manufacturer Daniel Defense of cultivating “a generation of young men who are socially vulnerable, insecure about their masculinity and eager to demonstrate strength and assert superiority” and of “brainwashing a specific demographic – adolescents – who are vulnerable to marketing that appeals to their frustration and desire for power.”
“More specifically, Defendants consume alienated teenagers and spit out mass shooters,” the California complaint reads.
“The Uvalde school shooting was preceded by the Parkland school shooting, and before that was the Sandy Hook school shooting,” the lawsuit continues. “These were the three deadliest elementary, middle, and high school shootings in American history. In each case, the perpetrators were between the ages of 18 and 21, and in each case, they were dedicated fans. call of duty; and in both cases the perpetrators carried out the attacks wearing tactical gear and carrying assault rifles.”
Friday’s two complaints follow the announcement earlier this week of a separate lawsuit filed by Uvalde families against more than 90 Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) officers over their response to a deadly shooting two years ago.
“There is a direct connection between the actions of these companies and the Uvalde shooting,” Josh Koshkoff, the family’s attorney, said in a Friday press release about the lawsuits against the companies. “23 minutes after midnight on his 18th birthday, the Uvalde shooter purchased an AR-15 manufactured by a company with less than 1 percent market share.”
“The Uvalde shooting is horrific and heartbreaking in every sense of the word, and we express our deepest sympathies to the family and community that continue to be affected by this senseless act of violence,” an Activision spokesperson said in an emailed statement to The Hill.
“Millions of people around the world enjoy playing video games without resorting to horrific behaviour,” the spokesperson added.
The Hill reached out to Mehta and Daniel Defense.
Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
