Publisher of "Call of Duty", manufacturer of AR-15 type firearm, and "Meta" are accused in wrongful death lawsuits by relatives of Uvalde's casualties.
The accused firms, who claim the schools' shooter was "groomed" by the defendants, came up following the announcement that 19 families of students and teachers killed at the school settled a lawsuit with the city for $2 million on Wednesday.
The companies - Meta, Activision, and Daniel Defense - each had a role in the shooter's behavior, the suits alleges.
In November 2021, the shooter, Salvador Ramos, downloaded the video game "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare" from Activision, Meta, and other publishers. The game had a weapon from Daniel Defense known as the DDM4 V7, which the suit claims was used as a "teaser" to attract players who wanted to try out the weapon.
At the same time, Ramos was also being enticed through aggressive marketing on Instagram, which Meta owns. The suit claims: "Within weeks of downloading Modern Warfare, the shooter was browsing assault weapons, acquiring firearm attachments popularized by the game, and returning repeatedly to Daniel Defense's website."
The incident occurred on May 16, when Ramos, who had just turned 18, bought a DDM4V7. Eight days later, he went on a shooting spree at Robb Elementary School, killing 21 people and harming many more.
One of Ramos' rifles, an AR15-style gun created by Daniel Defense, was discovered by investigators in the school, according to then-Texas state Senator John Whitmire, who is now Houston's mayor.
The suit filed in California Superior Court in Los Angeles' state says, "The Defendants are accountable for this deep corruption of our children." They've been "in cahoots with certain weapons manufacturers" who "have been cultivating a generation of young men who are socially vulnerable, insecure about their masculinity, and eager to demonstrate power and dominance."
In the Texas District Court suit, it is stated that Daniel Defense lures adolescents by utilizing "the power of social media and first-person shooter simulations to attract teens to its website where it can track their online activity, create a profile of their interests, and solicit their contact information."
Josh Koskoff, a partner at Koskoff, Koskoff & Bieder and attorney for the family members, claims: "There is a direct link between the actions of these businesses and the Uvalde bombing. 23 minutes after midnight on his 18th birthday, the Uvalde shooter spent money on an AR-15 from a corporation with a market share of less than one percent. Why? Because, prior to being old enough to buy it, he had been lured and groomed online by Instagram, Activision, and Daniel Defense. This trio knowingly exposed him to the weapon, conditioned him to view it as a solution to his problems, and coached him in using it."
An Activision spokesperson released a statement to CNN on Friday, saying: "The Uvalde shooting was horrendous and heartbreaking in every way; we extend our deepest sympathies to the families and communities affected by this senseless act of violence. Millions of individuals enjoy video games without committing unthinkable acts."
CNN attempted to reach out to Meta and Daniel Defense for comments.
CNN's Shimon Prokupecz and Samantha Delouya contributed to this story.
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Source: edition.cnn.com
