The families of the Uvalde school shooting victims reached a $2 million settlement with the city – one day after the school district police chief handed in his resignation.
The settlement announced Wednesday comes more than two years after a teenage gunman stormed Robb Elementary School armed with an AR-15 rifle, killing 19 students and two teachers.
Local and federal law enforcement officers have been criticized for their delayed response during the active shooting. It took them more than an hour to put an end to the deadly massacre and kill the shooter.
The families of 17 students killed and two students injured will be paid out in the settlement, according to CBS News.
"Pursuing further legal action against the City could have plunged Uvalde into bankruptcy, something that none of the families were interested in as they look for the community to heal," an attorney said in a statement issued on behalf of the victims' families, according to the outlet.
"These families could have pursued a lawsuit against the city, and there's certainly grounds for a lawsuit," city attorney Josh Koskoff told reporters. "Let's face it, sadly, we all saw what we saw ... but instead of suing the city and jeopardizing the finances of anybody, the families have accepted simply the insurance."
That same day, the victims' families announced their plans to sue the federal government for $500 million, the Associated Press reported.
The lawsuit alleges more than 100 state police officers failed to do their jobs to stop the shooting by waiting more than an hour to confront him.
"Law enforcement's inaction that day was a complete and absolute betrayal of these families and the sons, daughters and mothers they lost," Erin Rogiers, an attorney for one of the families said in a statement, according to the AP. "TXDPS had the resources, training and firepower to respond appropriately, and they ignored all of it and failed on every level. These families have not only the right but also the responsibility to demand justice."
In another shakeup on Tuesday, Uvalde School District Police Chief Joshua Guttierez resigned from his position as top school cop, according to KSAT-TV. The reason for his resignation is unclear. He took over last year after former police chief Pete Arredondo was fired. Guttierez's last day will be June 26.
