Families of children killed & wounded in the 2022 Uvalde school shooting have filed a lawsuit against the gun manufacturer, Instagram, and video game company Activision, their lawyer announced on Friday.
The shooting on May 24, 2022, at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, resulted in the deaths of 19 children and two teachers. It was the deadliest school shooting in the United States in a decade. The lawsuit accuses Daniel Defense, Meta-owned Instagram, and Microsoft-owned Activision of wrongful death and gross negligence, alleging that the companies marketed the AR-15 style assault rifle to “insecure, adolescent boys.”
Lawyer Josh Koskoff stated that the gunman, who purchased the weapon immediately after turning 18, had been targeted and influenced by the companies well before he was legally able to buy it. “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,” Koskoff said.
Activision responded to the lawsuit by expressing sympathies to the victims’ families and stating that millions enjoy video games without resorting to violence. Meta and Daniel Defense did not immediately comment.
Earlier this week, the Uvalde families reached a $2 million settlement with the city over police response failures during the shooting. Officers eventually killed the gunman but delayed for over an hour before entering the classroom where he was hiding.
School shootings remain frequent in the U.S., where firearm ownership is common and regulations on purchasing military-style rifles are lax.
