Uvalde leaders approve $2M for Robb Elementary families in first
settlement over 2022 attack
[April 24, 2025]
By JIM VERTUNO
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — City leaders in Uvalde, Texas, approved a $2
million settlement for families of the victims of the 2022 Robb
Elementary School shooting, marking the first time one of the myriad
lawsuits has led to financial compensation.
Attorneys for the families first announced the terms of the settlement
with the city in May 2024, and it was approved by the Uvalde city
council Tuesday night.
The settlement with the city will spread the $2 million among the 21
families of the victims killed in one of the deadliest school shootings
in U.S. history, said Javier Cazares, whose daughter Jackie was one of
19 fourth-graders killed by the gunman. Two teachers were also killed.
The suit addresses the botched law enforcement response by requiring
enhanced training for city police officers. It also expands mental
health services available to the families and the greater Uvalde area,
sets May 24 as an annual day of remembrance, and establishes a permanent
memorial in the city plaza.
“This is a small win in a larger battle and a lot of injustice we are
still going through,” Cazares told The Associated Press. “I couldn't
care less about the money."
Uvalde is a city of about 15,000 people about 80 miles (130 kilometers)
west of San Antonio. Uvalde Mayor Hector Luevano said the city's
settlement included “restorative justice initiatives for the families”
but declined to discuss details. He did not say why it took nearly a
year to approve the previously announced deal.
“The City of Uvalde is committed to honoring the memories of the lives
lost, families of the victims, survivors and those affected by this
tragedy,” Luevano said.
The families have several other lawsuits pending in federal and state
courts, including a $500 million lawsuit against Texas state police
officials and officers. There's also a suit against social media company
Meta Platforms and the company that made video game ”Call of Duty,” as
well as Daniel Defense, the maker of the rifle used in the attack.
Multiple reports from state and federal officials have laid bare
cascading problems in law enforcement training, communication,
leadership and technology, and questioned whether officers prioritized
their own lives over those of children and teachers.
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Flowers are placed around a welcome sign outside Robb
Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, May 25, 2022, to honor the
victims killed in a shooting at the school. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong,
File)
More than 370 responding officers from multiple local, state and
federal agencies waited more than an hour to confront and kill the
gunman.
Two former Uvalde schools police officers, Pete Arredondo and Adrian
Gonzales, face criminal charges of child endangerment and
abandonment and are scheduled for trial later this year, but they
remain the only two officers charged. They have pleaded not guilty.
The track record for lawsuits following mass shootings is mixed.
Over the past decade, courts have tossed numerous attempts, many of
which brought negligence claims against the government or the places
where the attacks took place. But some get results for victims and
their families.
In 2020, the casino company MGM Resorts International and its
insurers agreed to an $800 million settlement over a shooting on the
Las Vegas Strip that killed 58 people and injured hundreds more.
In April 2023, the Justice Department announced a $144 million
settlement with relatives and families of a 2017 Texas church
attack, which was carried out by a former U.S. airman with a
criminal history.
An attorney for the Uvalde families in the recent settlement with
the city said they did not want to bankrupt their community — and
that the settlement will be paid through the city's insurance
coverage.
“Faced with a difficult decision, these families worked with the
community they love to make things right without creating deeper
economic hardship,” attorney Josh Koskoff said. “The road to healing
is long and painful, but we are hopeful that this agreement enables
families who lost so much and the city they call home to continue
that process.”
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