Survivors of the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas are suing police for responding improperly to the attacker.
School employees and relatives of the students who were present when 19 children and 2 teachers were killed by a gunman at the Robb Elementary School say state and local police failed to follow active shooter protocol as they took more than an hour to confront 18-year-old Salvador Ramos attacker on May 24.
Questions remain to this day about how many more children might have been saved had police acted sooner.
The lawsuit, which was filed Tuesday in federal court, seeks $27 billion in damages for those “emotional or psychological damages as a result of the defendants’ conduct and omissions on that date.”
Just days later, the City of Uvalde sued Christina Mitchell, the local district attorney, accusing her of withholding information from internal affairs and hamstringing an independent inquiry into potential police misconduct in the response to the shooting.
According to the city, the internal affairs investigation into the failed police response is ongoing, “but it is significantly restricted by the scope of evidence available,” due by defendant,”
“Despite the City of Uvalde’s efforts to amicably obtain the necessary investigative materials for its ongoing Uvalde Police Department’s Internal Affairs investigation, the District Attorney has blocked the City’s ability to obtain critical information to assess its officers’ actions and compliance with police department policies and expectations,” they said in a statement.
So far, two officers have been fired as a result of their actions – or lack thereof – on the day of the shooting. Last month Lt. Mariano Pargas, who was the acting Uvalde police chief at the time, resigned just days before his termination by city council was expected.