Uvalde families sue Texas DPS officers, reach settlement with city

Attorneys specializing in suing firearm manufacturers will join the families.

UVALDE (Nexstar) -- Nineteen families of those killed and injured in the 2022 Robb Elementary school shooting announced a new lawsuit against 92 individual officers with the Texas Department of Public Safety. 

The families made their announced Wednesday from Uvalde led by Connecticut-based attorney Josh Koskoff, who is renowned for representing victims of mass shootings in high-profile civil lawsuits. In 2022, he secured a $73 million settlement from Remington on behalf of Sandy Hook victims. 

The families also shared they reached a $2 million settlement with the City of Uvalde and Uvalde County.

The announcement came two days before the two-year mark of the deadliest school shooting in Texas history. On May 24, 2022, 19 children and two teachers were killed by an 18-year-old with a semiautomatic rifle, sparking a nationwide controversy over the flawed police response and a lack of transparency against which victims’ families are still advocating today.

Of the nearly 400 law enforcement officers who responded to Robb Elementary on May 24, 2022, 91 were with DPS. It is expected that all of them who responded will face legal action through this lawsuit. Following the response, DPS investigated seven officers and fired Sgt. Juan Maldonado, who was one of the first to arrive on the scene. The agency then terminated Ranger Christopher Ryan Kindell, who was placed on paid leave pending appeal. One other, Trooper Crimson Elizondo, resigned, and the rest were exonerated.