Families of the group of victims from Uvalde school shooting announced Friday new lawsuits against Instagram’s parent company Meta Platforms, the maker of the “Call of Duty” video game and the gun company that made the assault rifle used in the shooting.
The lawsuits against Meta, Activision and Daniel Defense were announced on the two-year anniversary of the Robb Elementary School attack.
They accuse the companies of partnering to promote and create content meant to glorify combat, gun violence and murder, which effectively trained a teenage gunman before he killed 19 students and two teachers in one of the deadliest school shootings in history. US history.
“There is a direct connection between the actions of these companies and the Uvalde shooting,” said Josh Koskoff, the families’ attorney. “This three-headed monster deliberately exposed him to weapons, taught him to see them as a tool to solve his problems, and taught him to use them.”
Some of the same families filed suit Wednesday $500 million lawsuit against Texas State Police officials and officers who were involved in the botched law enforcement response that day. More than 370 federal, state and local officers responded but waited more than an hour to confront the classroom shooter while students and teachers lay dead, dying or wounded.
Friday’s lawsuits are not the first to accuse tech companies of being involved in or influencing the radicalization of mass killers. Families of victims of a supermarket attack in Buffalo, New York in May 2022. sued social media companiesincluding Meta and Instagram, over content on their platforms.
The lawsuit against Georgia gun maker Daniel Defense was filed in Texas by the same group of 19 families that filed the lawsuit Wednesday. The lawsuit against Meta and Activision was to be filed in California, along with additional families of the attack victims.
Activision called the Uvalde shooting “horrific and heartbreaking in every way, and we extend our deepest sympathies to the families and communities who continue to be affected by this senseless act of violence.” Millions of people around the world enjoy video games without resorting to horrendous acts.”
A video game industry trade group also spoke out against blaming the games for violence. Controversial studies have found no link.
“We are saddened and outraged by the senseless acts of violence. At the same time, we discourage unfounded accusations that link these tragedies to video games, which distract from efforts to focus on the root problems and protect against future tragedies,” the Entertainment Software Association said.
The amount of damages sought in the new lawsuits was not immediately clear.
According to the lawsuit, the Uvalde shooter had been playing versions of Call of Duty since he was 15, including one that allowed him to effectively train with the version of the rifle he used in school.
The lawsuit against the gaming company says it created a hyper-realistic game in which “while the kills are virtual, the weapons are real—designed to perfectly mimic their real-life counterparts in appearance, feel, recoil and accuracy.”
Instagram does little to enforce its rules prohibiting the sale of firearms and content harmful to children, the lawsuit says.
The family’s lawyers say the gun company pulled off a “marketing coup” by featuring its weapons in the game.
“At the same time, the shooter was being courted on Instagram through explicit and aggressive marketing. In addition to hundreds of images depicting and glorifying the thrill of combat, Daniel Defense used Instagram to extol the illegal and murderous use of his weapons,” the families’ attorneys said in a statement.
The Uvalde shooter opened an online account with Daniel Defense before his 18th birthday and purchased the rifle as soon as he could, the lawsuit says.
A separate lawsuit filed by different plaintiffs in December 2022 against local and state police, city and other school and law enforcement agencies seeks at least $27 billion and class action status for survivors. At least two more lawsuits have been filed against him. Daniel Defense.
Daniel Defense and Meta did not immediately respond to emails seeking comment.
At a 2022 congressional hearing, Daniel Defense CEO Marty Daniels called the Uvalde shooting and others like it “pure evil” and “deeply disturbing.”
In Uvalde, community members plan to gather Friday evening for a vigil in memory of the victims. Other events include the ringing of bells and the release of butterflies at the local church.
“As we mark this solemn day, let us pray for those we have lost, their loved ones, and all who have been wounded,” President Joe Biden said in a letter to the community.
“They should still be with us—playing sports, creating art, dancing, laughing, learning, teaching and creating new memories with their families and friends,” Vice President Kamala Harris said in a statement. “Today we remember their stories, support their loved ones and think about their community.”