Four families whose children were injured during a mass shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, are suing the estate of the gunman responsible for more than $100 million.
The families filed the lawsuit in the 38th Judicial District Court in Uvalde, seeking compensation for physical and emotional damages stemming from the shooting, according to the complaint.
The lawsuit seeks compensation in excess of $100 million from the estate of Salvador Ramos. Law enforcement officials shot and killed Ramos after he opened fire inside Robb Elementary School on May 24, killing 19 children and two adults.
He also injured 17 additional children and adults during the shooting. The Thomas J. Henry Law is representing four of the families whose children were injured in the shooting.
Henry is probing several areas of the shooting, including the purchase of the weapons Ramos used, how he entered the school and the law enforcement’s response to the shooting.
“This initial lawsuit will allow us to discover evidence and possibly add other parties to the lawsuit, if necessary,” Henry said in a press release. “The discovery process will focus on the school system, law enforcement, social media, and gun and ammunition manufacturers.”
Ramos bought two AR-15-style rifles, including the DDM4 V7 rifle he used in the shooting, from Oasis Outback just days after he turned 18. Daniel Defense, the manufacturers of the DDM4 V7, have come under scrutiny for marketing to children.
Ramos entered Robb Elementary School through a back door. While a teacher was initially criticized for not closing the door, it was later revealed that the door did not lock properly.
The law enforcement response to the shooting has also been criticized after it was revealed police waited outside the school for more than an hour while the gunman rampaged inside. Police on scene said they believed it was a barricaded shooter situation.
The four children in the lawsuit were injured by gunfire in several areas, including in the shoulder, leg, face and back, according to the complaint. They had to undergo extensive medical operations.
The complaint says Ramos “intentionally injured these young children, stole their innocence, and forever changed their lives.”
“They witnessed their friends and teachers being shot and dying in front of them. They were locked into the room with Ramos as he shot their friends and were forced to stay there for over 45 minutes, hurt and frightened before police finally entered the room and shot and killed Ramos,” the complaint reads. “The emotional toll they endured is incomprehensible and will be with them for the remainder of their lives.”
Henry previously represented the victims of a 2017 mass shooting in Sutherland Springs, Texas, and won a more than $200 million settlement from the lawsuit.
After Uvalde joined Newtown, Conn., Parkland, Fla., and Columbine, Colo., in having a mass shooting at a school, Henry said the lawsuit was a step toward “ensuring our children go to school and come home safe.”
“We want to obtain justice for the families that have been devastated by this shooting and ensure we have swift changes that protect our children while they are at school,” the lawyer added in a statement.