Father of Uvalde shooting victim retains lawyers who sued makers of rifle used in Sandy Hook

This petition was filed on behalf of the father of 10-year-old Amerie Jo Garza.

ByAaron Katersky ABCNews logo
Monday, June 6, 2022
How law enforcement narrative of Uvalde mass shooting changed
Authorities in Texas have come under scrutiny for the shifting narrative about crucial elements of the police response, ABC News reports.

UVALDE, Texas -- The Connecticut lawyers who successfully sued the maker of the rifle used in the 2012 Newtown, Connecticut, shooting filed a letter Friday seeking documents and records from Daniel Defense, maker of the rifle used in the Uvalde, Texas, shooting May 24.

This petition was filed on behalf of the father of Amerie Jo Garza, one of the 19 children killed in the rampage by the alleged gunman, 18-year-old Salvador Ramos.

The father of 10-year-old Amerie Jo Garza confirmed to ABC News his daughter was one of the students killed in Tuesday's school shooting in Uvalde, Texas.
Family photo

Alfred Garza, Amerie Jo's father, is being represented by attorneys Josh Koskoff, who obtained a $73 million settlement to nine families of the Sandy Hook elementary school shooting victims, and Texas-based attorneys Mikal Watts and Charla Aldous, according to a press release.

"We have to honor her and make sure we do good. From this day forward, I want to live my life for my daughter," Garza told David Muir in a recent "World News Tonight" interview.

Pallbearers carry the casket of Amerie Jo Garza to her burial site in Uvalde, Texas, Tuesday, May 31, 2022.
AP Photo/Jae C. Hong

"My purpose for being now is to honor Amerie Jo's memory," Garza also said in the statement. "She would want to me to do everything I can so this will never happen again to any other child. I have to fight her fight."

SEE ALSO: Mass shootings in the U.S. have nearly tripled since 2013, data shows

ABC News talks to experts who examine America's history with guns, the real-life impacts of gun violence and what can be done going forward to mitigate the problem.

"Daniel Defense has said that they are praying for the Uvalde families. They should back up those prayers with meaningful action," said Josh Koskoff of Koskoff, Koskoff & Bieder. "If they really are sincere in their desire to support these families, they will provide the information that Mr. Garza has requested without delay or excuse. Either way, we will do a complete and thorough investigation, leaving no stone unturned."

The petition letter is a precursor to a lawsuit that could seek to hold the gunmaker liable despite a federal shield for gunmakers that President Joe Biden asked the nation to repeal in his Thursday night speech.

WATCH: Biden presses for more gun control after mass shootings

President Joe Biden on Thursday delivered a rare evening speech on guns Thursday, pressing American lawmakers to take action a day after the nation reeled from another mass shooting.

A similar petition was filed Friday by Robb Elementary teacher Emilia Marin, whose lawyer spoke this week to ABC News.

In February, the families of five children and four adults killed in the 2012 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School announced a landmark victory in their long-running case against Remington, the company that made and marketed the AR-15 weapon used in the Newton massacre.

MORE: Parents of 4th-grade victim in Uvalde school shooting beg lawmakers for change

Lexi Rubio's parents are not blaming law enforcement for what happened, but they are asking Texas lawmakers to ban the military-style rifle used in the shooting.
Since 2017, mass shootings in the United States -- described as shooting incidents in which at least four people are injured or killed -- have nearly doubled year over year. Already, there have been 212 mass shooting incidents in 2022 -- a 50% increase from 141 shootings in May 2017. The graphic above shows the number of shooting incidents per state. Mobile users: Click here to see our map of mass shootings in the US from the last five years
The number of people injured or killed does not include the suspect or perpetrator. These graphics show the number of victims across all mass shootings from the last five years.
Copyright © 2024 ABC News Internet Ventures.