Uvalde families reach a settlement with the city and file a new lawsuit against the school district and 92 law enforcement officers.
"Over a grueling two years, we've endured immense suffering without any responsibility taken by the law enforcement units and officers who let our families fall apart that tragic day. This settlement signifies the first intent by the City of Uvalde to mend trust in the institutions that let us down. But it's not just the Uvalde police who let us down that day. Nearly a hundred officers from the Texas Department of Public Safety are yet to face any form of accountability for quaking in terror while my daughter and nephew experienced their final moments in their classroom." Veronica Luevanos, mother of Jailah and Jayce who were murdered, stated. "Yet again, it's not just a single establishment, but several different ones, that failed us that day. Authorities have thus far refrained from putting those responsible in their place."
CNN attempted to reach out to the Texas Department of Public Safety, the DPS Officers Association, and the Uvalde Independent School District for a response.
This legal action is being initiated just before the two-year anniversary of the devastating May 24th, 2022 massacre, where an 18-year-old rampaged into the elementary school, slaughtering 19 children, two teachers, and trapping himself in a classroom. In total, 376 police officers descended upon the scene. However, none of them made the bold move to breach the classroom door and end the bloodshed for an entire hour and 17 minutes.
This agonizingly slow reaction was in direct contrast to the active shooter protocols that become mandatory following the Columbine High School massacre in 1999. Reaction times were implored to be immediate.
The bungled police response was rebuked in a succession of government investigatory reports, though no one has incurred any legal penalties. The US Department of Justice, in its January critique, pointed out that the fiasco was a result of "cascading failures of leadership, decision-making, tactics, policy, and training" by law enforcement officials. Lives would have been saved had the officials adhered to universal principles, the report concluded.
Chief of the Uvalde school district police, Pete Arredondo, was dismissed in August 2022 for his actions on that catastrophic day. His successor, Joshua Gutierrez, is resigning on June 1st, as revealed by a school official's statement.
This recent lawsuit joins a legion of other civil actions sparked by the massacre.
Preceding this, the Torres family, whose child Eliahna, a 10-year-old, lost her life, filed a lawsuit against multiple parties, including the gun manufacturer and the store selling the weapon used in the attack. Additionally, survivors initiated a class action lawsuit in federal court against several Texas law enforcement agencies, valued at $27 billion. Trial dates for both cases have yet to be scheduled.
Both rifles used by the shooter were obtained legally b four days after his eighteenth birthday. The tragedy becomes part of a never-ending epidemic of school shootings in the United States.
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"We, as Uvalde families, have reached a settlement with the city, but we still hold 92 law enforcement officers accountable for their actions during that tragic day."
"Despite this settlement, our focus remains on ensuring that all responsible parties, including the 92 officers from different law enforcement agencies, are held accountable for their roles in the events that day."
Source: edition.cnn.com
