Families of the victims of the Uvalde school massacre plan to make an announcement Wednesday ahead of the second anniversary

UVALDE, Texas (AP) — The families of 19 of the victims in Shooting at Uvalde Elementary School in Texas have scheduled a news conference for Wednesday ahead of the upcoming two-year anniversary of one of the deadliest school shootings in U.S. history.

In the attack at Robb Elementary School on May 24, 2022, 19 fourth-graders and two teachers were killed when the teenage gunman burst into their classroom and began shooting.

One of the lawyers representing the Uvalde families, Josh Koskoff of Connecticut, helped the families of victims of the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting win a $1.4 billion libel judgment against conspiracy theorist Alex Jones to reach a $73 million settlement with gun manufacturer Remington, the company that made the rifle used at Sandy Hook.

Several lawsuits have already been filed in connection with the Uvalde shooting. Several families of Uvalde victims did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

A lawsuit filed in December 2022 against local and state police, the city and other school and law enforcement agencies at least aims to do that 27 billion dollars and class action status for survivors. And at least two lawsuits have been filed against the Georgia-based company Weapons manufacturer Daniel Defensewhich created the AR rifle used by the shooter.

The police response to the mass shooting was criticized and scrutinized by state and federal authorities.

More than 370 local, state and federal officials arrived at the scene but waited more than 70 minutes before confronting the shooter. Frightened students in the classroom called 911 while frantic parents pleaded with officials to go inside. Some of them heard gunshots while standing in the hallway.

A tactical team of officers eventually entered the classroom and killed the shooter.

A 600-page Report of the Ministry of Justice In January, he catalogued “cascading failures” in training, communications, leadership and technology problems on this day.

Another report commissioned by the city also noted numerous law enforcement missteps but defended local police actions that sparked anger among victims' families.

A criminal investigation into the police response by Uvalde District Attorney Christina Mitchell's office is ongoing. grand jury was subpoenaed at the beginning of the year and some police officers have already been called to testify.