Uvalde shooting families sue gun maker Meta, Activision

Families of the victims of the elementary school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, filed lawsuits Friday against the maker of the AR-15 rifle used in the attack, the publisher of the “Call of Duty” video game and the Instagram parent company Meta Platforms Inc.

The two complaints – one filed in California, the other in Texas – allege the companies provided Robb Elementary shooter Salvador Ramos with information, encouragement and the gun he used to kill 21 people on May 24, 2022.

“How, then, did the Uvalde shooter, a poor and isolated teenager in a small Texas town, set his sights on the DDM4V7 as his weapon of choice? » the complaint says she refers to the gun by its model number. “How, anyway, did he learn what an AR-15 is and what it’s good at?” The answer lies in the behavior of the defendants, who knowingly exposed the shooter to the gun, conditioned him to see it as the solution to his problems, and trained him to use it.

The lawsuit filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court targets “Call of Duty” publisher Activision Blizzard Inc. and Meta, claiming the companies encourage vulnerable young men like Ramos to become violent.

“The defendants are chewing up insane teenagers and spitting out mass shooters,” it says.

Activision “is engaged in an extremely lucrative business of training teenagers to become gunmen,” the families claim. “Its first-person shooter franchise, Call of Duty, creates a highly realistic and addictive theater of violence in which teenagers learn to kill with frightening skill and ease. »

Meta's Instagram platform promotes AR-15-style rifles through images of influencers, celebrities and others carrying the weapons, the complaint states.

An Activision spokesperson said in a statement: “The Uvalde shooting was horrific and heartbreaking in every way, and we express our deepest condolences to the families and communities who remain impacted by this act of violence. foolish. Millions of people around the world enjoy video games without engaging in horrible acts.

The company is a unit of Microsoft Corp.

Meta did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The complaint alleges negligence, product liability, unjust enrichment, wrongful death and violations of the California Business Code. They are seeking damages, including funeral costs.

Armorer Costume

The second complaint, filed in Uvalde District Court, alleges that gun maker Daniel Defense has a business strategy that targets teenage men such as Ramos, who was 18 on the day of the shooting.

“Daniel Defense wooed the Uvalde Shooter with a marketing and sales plan he designed to lure him and other teenagers into a relationship with his brand of AR-15, particularly its flagship product DDM4v7,” the complaint states.

Daniel Defense did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The lawsuit claims negligence and strict liability for abnormally dangerous activity. The families are seeking damages in excess of $1 million, including punitive damages.

The lawsuits were filed on the second anniversary of the shooting.

Koskoff, Koskoff and Bieder PC represent the families.

The cases are Mata v. Meta Platforms Inc., Cal. Great. Ct., Complaint 05/24/24 and Rubio v. Daniel Defense LLC, Tex. Dist. Ct., complaint 05/23/24.