The families of the victims of the 2022 Uvalde, Texas, school shooting have reached a settlement with the city, but are planning additional lawsuits against the responding officers, according to an attorney representing the families. That’s what it means.
Uvalde police were heavily criticized for their response to the 2022 shooting after they waited more than an hour to confront the gunman after he shot and killed 19 students and two teachers at Robb Elementary School. The city of Uvalde has agreed to pay $2 million to the families of the 17 children killed in the shooting and the families of two children injured. according to Go to CBS News.
A January Department of Justice report found “cascading failures of leadership” occurred when Uvalde police responded to a 2022 shooting. “The most significant failure was that the responding officers immediately recognized this incident as an active shooter situation and immediately and continuously directed their attention toward the threat until they entered classrooms 111/112 and the threat was made. “We should have used sufficient resources and equipment to advance,” the report said.
It took responding officers 77 minutes from the time they arrived on the scene to the time they approached and killed the gunman. (Related: Uvalde Police Chief resigns after independent report reveals police misconduct during school shooting response)
Law enforcement officers guard the scene of a shooting at Robb Elementary School on May 24, 2022 in Uvalde, Texas, United States. (Reuters/Marco Bello)
According to CBS News, the settlement also includes provisions calling for increased police training in Ubalde, the provision of mental health services to the community and the beginning of the process for establishing a monument.
“Further litigation against the city could have led to Uvalde going bankrupt, and none of the families had an interest in healing their community,” the families’ lawyers said in explaining the settlement.
The families have not taken any further legal action against the city, but have sued 92 police officers, according to their lawyers. “Law enforcement did not treat this incident as a mass shooting even though they clearly knew there was a shooter inside,” the attorneys said.
In March, independent investigators found policy violations related to delays in local police response.
The city of Uvalde did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Daily Caller News Foundation.
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