A Los Angeles lawsuit claims that the individual responsible for the Uvalde school shooting was inspired by Instagram and the "Call of Duty" video game franchise to conduct the heinous crime.
The parents of one of the victims, Tess Mata, are now working with the families of other victims to sue three companies. They allege that these organizations profited from the violent fantasies that led to their children's deaths.
Uvalde School Shooting Lawsuit
The defendants in the case include the maker of the "Call of Duty" video game franchise, Activision, and Meta, the owner of social media platform Instagram. The suit argues that the game is a first-person military shooter where the suspect, 18-year-old Salvador Ramos, encountered a virtual version of the Daniel Defense-branded AR-15 he used for the shooting.
The Matas, along with three other families from Uvalde, traveled to confront the companies in L.A. County Superior Court. That is where they filed claims for negligence, aiding and abetting, and wrongful death, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Veronica Mata said that the companies glorify these weapons and make them enticing for young kids to purchase them. She added that young children are very receptive to these types of things, which makes it easy for them to be influenced.
The maker of the "Call of Duty" video game franchise, Activision, is a Santa Monica-based developer that filed for dismissal of the lawsuit. It argues that the First Amendment protects its product as a work of art.
Issues of Gun Violence
The lawyer for Activision, Bethany Kristovich, said that the issues of gun violence are "incredibly difficult," adding that the evidence in the case is not. She said that the case is more likely to fail if it continues because courts have repeatedly held that the creators of artistic works cannot be held legally liable for the acts of their audience, the Independent reported.
The latest lawsuit was originally filed last year, on the second anniversary of the Uvalde school shooting, which is considered one of the deadliest school shootings in the history of the United States.
At the time, the gunman fatally shot 19 students and two teachers before he was confronted by officers who shot him down. However, that was after law enforcement waited for more than an hour to enter the fourth-grade classroom where the shooter was.
One of the parents who is part of the lawsuit is Kimberly Rubio, whose 10-year-old daughter, Lexi, was among the fatal victims of the shooting. She said they are hoping that the case will move forward so they can get answers to their questions, per ABC News.
