Families of the Robb Elementary School shooting victims have reached a settlement with the city of Uvalde, Texas.
City Council members voted unanimously Tuesday to approve the settlement. The terms of the agreement are undisclosed.
"Nothing can ever make up the losses and harms these families endured on May 24, 2022," Mayor Hector Luevano said at the City Council meeting, "but today’s agreement marks an important step forward in advancing community healing, ensuring our city forever honors the lives we tragically lost, and supporting all surviving victims in the 2022 Robb Elementary shooting."
Luevano said the city will also work with committee representatives of the families for a permanent memorial.
Several lawsuits were filed seeking accountability for the law enforcement response to the shooting. Nineteen fourth-graders and two teachers were killed when an 18-year-old gunman stormed into the school.
Josh Koskoff, who represents 19 families whose loved ones were murdered or injured, said in a statement after the settlement was approved: "No community is truly equipped to deal with the abject horror and heartbreaking aftermath of a mass shooting carried out with an AR-15. Still, 376 law enforcement officers failed to follow even basic protocols at Robb Elementary that could have saved lives. Faced with a difficult decision, these families worked with the community they love to make things right without creating deeper economic hardship."
He added: "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."
Luevano said the settlement "affirms the city’s commitment to supporting the Uvalde Police Department’s Guardian initiative, including enhanced emergency training and evaluation for officers, as well as mental health support, while working to instill trust and confidence in the men and women we take care on the critical responsibilities of protecting all Uvalde residents."
"We look forward to our continued work and collaboration with the Robb families to ensure the Uvalde community can move forward on the path of collective healing and reconciliation," he said.
