It is the first class action lawsuit that arises after the massacre and the first to request a specific amount of damages for the permanent psychological damage presented by the survivors.
On May 24, 2022, 19 children and two teachers were killed in an armed attack at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, after 18-year-old Salvador Ramos entered with a gun and began shooting; More than six months after the tragedy, the relatives cry out for justice.
To do this, at least 25 survivors of the shooting demanded, among some, the director of the Texas Department of Public Safety, Steven McCraw, through a class action, $27 billion in psychological damages.
The other defendants in the lawsuit filed this week include local lawmakers and top law enforcement officials, many of whom are already facing federal lawsuits from other shooting survivors and the mother of a victim.
This is the first lawsuit to name McCraw and Texas DPS Regional Director Victor Escalón for their role in the police response during the massacre that claimed 21 lives.
“People are suffering, their children are suffering,” said Charles Bonner, the lead attorney on the case, “They don’t know what to do and there’s no one to help them.”
The federal lawsuit, which was filed in Del Rio, Texas, is the first class action lawsuit to emerge after the massacre and the first to ask for a specific amount of damages. It is the third federal lawsuit to stem from the tragedy and the second filed by a group of survivors.
The plaintiffs were students, teachers and school bus drivers at Robb Elementary on the day of the shooting. The attorneys say they are also looking to add more plaintiffs to the lawsuit.
“ This $27 billion lawsuit is to let you know that we value the lives of our children,” Bonner said. “We have to have enough money to get their attention.”
Bonner said he met with many of the surviving families earlier this week at a church in Uvalde and listened to their stories.
Many children who witnessed the shooting have since changed, he said. Some have had trouble sleeping, others have started wetting their pants, and many can no longer be alone.
Teachers who housed students in classrooms and closets were also traumatized, he added.