Families in Uvalde, the Texas city where a teenage gunman killed 19 elementary school students and two teachers, are suing Meta Platforms, which owns Instagram, and the maker of the video game “Call of Duty,” alleging the companies bear responsibility for products used by the shooter.
Also named in the lawsuit is Daniel Defense, the maker of the AR-15 assault rifle used in the May 24, 2022 massacre at Robb Elementary School. The lawsuit was filed Friday, on the two-year anniversary of the shooting.
“There is a direct line between the conduct of these companies and the Uvalde shooting,” said Josh Koskoff, an attorney for the families. “This three-headed monster knowingly exposed him to the weapon, conditioned him to see it as a tool to solve his problems and trained him to use it.”
UVALDE SCHOOL SHOOTING: ONE YEAR LATER
A memorial outside Robb Elementary School, after a May 2022 mass shooting inside the school. Families impacted by the tragedy are suing several companies for their alleged roles in the shooting. (REUTERS/Kaylee Greenlee Beal)
The damages being sought weren’t specified.
The Uvalde shooter had played versions of “Call of Duty” since he was 15, including one that allowed him to effectively practice with the version of the rifle he used at the school, according to the lawsuit. The families also accused Instagram of doing little to enforce its rules that ban marketing firearms and harmful content to children.
A video game industry trade group also pushed back on blaming games for violence, arguing research has found no link to the massacre.
“We are saddened and outraged by senseless acts of violence. At the same time, we discourage baseless accusations linking these tragedies to video game play, which detract from efforts to focus on the root issues in question and safeguard against future tragedies,” the Entertainment Software Association told Fox News Digital.
“The Uvalde shooting was horrendous and heartbreaking in every way, and we express our deepest sympathies to the families and communities who remain impacted by this senseless act of violence,” a spokesperson for Activision, the maker of the video game, told Fox News Digital. “Millions of people around the world enjoy video games without turning to horrific acts.
TEXAS OFFICIALS: UVALDE SHOOTING REPORT REVEALS ‘MULTIPLE SYSTEMIC FAILURES’
FILE – Reggie Daniels pays his respects a memorial at Robb Elementary School, Thursday, June 9, 2022, in Uvalde, Texas. The 19 fourth-graders and two teachers killed at the elementary school are being remembered, Friday, May 24, 2024 as the second anniversary of the one of the deadliest school shootings in U.S. history is marked. (AP Photo/Eric Gay) (AP)
In a 2022 congressional hearing, Daniel Defense CEO Marty Daniels called the Uvalde shooting and others like it “pure evil” and “deeply disturbing.”
On Wednesday, families impacted by the tragedy filed a separate $500 million lawsuit against 91 Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) officers and the local school district over their response to the shooting.
Local law enforcement officials have been heavily criticized over the hesitation to confront the shooter, which some say could have saved lives.
“You think the city of Uvalde has enough money, or training, or resources? You think they can hire the best of the best?” Koskoff said at a press conference this week. “As far as the state of Texas is concerned, it sounds like their position is: You’re on your own.”
More than 370 federal, state and local officers converged on the scene, but waited more than 70 minutes before a team led by Border Patrol agents confronted and killed the gunman.
Javier Cazares, center, stands with families of the victims in the Uvalde elementary school shooting during a news conference on Wednesday in Uvalde, Texas. The families of 19 of the victims announced a lawsuit against nearly 100 state police officers who were part of the botched law enforcement response. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
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“Nearly 100 officers from the Texas Department of Public Safety have yet to face a shred of accountability for cowering in fear while my daughter and nephew bled to death in their classroom,” Veronica Luevanos, whose daughter Jailah and nephew Jayce were killed, said in a statement reported by the Texas Tribune.
Fox News Digital has reached out to Meta, Daniel Defense and the makers of “Call of Duty.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
