Families of Uvalde victims sue 'Call of Duty' creator and gun maker Meta: 'This three-headed monster knowingly exposed him to the gun'

The lawsuits against Meta, Activision and Daniel Defense were announced on the second anniversary of the Robb Elementary School attack.

They accuse the companies of colluding to promote and create content intended to glorify the fighting, gun violence and killings that effectively trained the teenage shooter before he killed 19 students and two teachers in one of the deadliest school shootings in U.S. history.

“There is a direct connection between the behavior of these companies and the Uvalde shooting,” said Josh Koskoff, an attorney for the families. “This three-headed monster knowingly exposed him to the weapon, conditioned him to view it as a tool to solve his problems, and trained him to use it.”

Some of those same families filed a $500 million lawsuit Wednesday against Texas State Police officials and officers who participated 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 shooter inside the classroom as students and teachers lay dead, dying or injured.

Friday's lawsuits are not the first to accuse tech companies of playing a role in radicalizing or influencing mass shooters. Families of victims of a May 2022 attack on a Buffalo, New York, supermarket have sued social media companies, including Meta and Instagram, over content on their platforms.

The lawsuit against Georgia-based gunmaker Daniel Defense was filed in Texas by the same group of 19 families who sued Wednesday. The lawsuit against Meta and Activision was to be filed in California along with other families of victims of the attack.

Activision called the Uvalde shooting “horrific and heartbreaking in every way, and we express our deepest condolences to the families and communities who remain impacted by this senseless act of violence.” Millions of people around the world enjoy video games without engaging in horrible acts.

A video game industry trade group also pushed back against blaming games for violence, with disputed research finding no connection.

“We are saddened and outraged by these senseless acts of violence. At the same time, we discourage baseless accusations linking these tragedies to video gaming, which undermine efforts to focus on the core issues at hand and guard against future tragedies,” the Entertainment Software Association said.

The amount of damages sought in the new lawsuits was not immediately clear.

According to the lawsuits, the Uvalde shooter had been playing versions of “Call of Duty” since he was 15, including one that allowed him to effectively practice with the version of the rifle he used at school .

The lawsuit against the gaming company says it created a hyper-realistic game in which “although the killing is virtual, the weapons are authentic – they are designed to perfectly mimic their real-life counterparts in look, feel, recoil and precision.

Instagram does little to enforce its rules that prohibit the marketing of guns and content harmful to children, according to the lawsuit.

The gun company pulled off a “marketing stunt” with its weapons featured in the game, the family's lawyers said.

“Simultaneously, on Instagram, the shooter was courted through explicit and aggressive marketing. In addition to hundreds of images depicting and venerating the thrill of combat, Daniel Defense used Instagram to tout the illegal and deadly 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, according to the lawsuit.

A separate lawsuit filed by different plaintiffs in December 2022 against local and state police, the city and other schools and law enforcement, seeks at least $27 billion and class-action status for survivors. At least two other lawsuits have been filed against Daniel Defense.

Daniel Defense and Meta did not immediately respond to emails seeking comment.

During a 2022 congressional hearing, Marty Daniels, CEO of Daniel Defense, called the Uvalde shootings and others like them “pure evil” and “deeply disturbing.”

In Uvalde, community members are expected to gather Friday evening for a vigil in memory of those killed. Other events included a bell ringing and butterfly release at a local church.

“As we celebrate this solemn day, may we pray for those we have lost, their loved ones, and all those who have been injured,” President Joe Biden said in a letter to the community.

“They should always 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, we stand with their loved ones and we think of their community. »

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