Southwest
Uvalde mass shooting victims' families suing Meta, gun manufacturer and video game maker
Families in Uvalde, the Texas city where a teenage gunman killed 19 elementary school students and two teachers, are suing Meta Platforms, which owns Instagram, and the maker of the video game “Call of Duty,” alleging the companies bear responsibility for products used by the shooter.
Also named in the lawsuit is Daniel Defense, the maker of the AR-15 assault rifle used in the May 24, 2022 massacre at Robb Elementary School. The lawsuit was filed Friday, on the two-year anniversary of the shooting.
“There is a direct line between the conduct of these companies and the Uvalde shooting,” said Josh Koskoff, an attorney for the families. “This three-headed monster knowingly exposed him to the weapon, conditioned him to see it as a tool to solve his problems and trained him to use it.”
UVALDE SCHOOL SHOOTING: ONE YEAR LATER
A memorial outside Robb Elementary School, after a May 2022 mass shooting inside the school. Families impacted by the tragedy are suing several companies for their alleged roles in the shooting. (REUTERS/Kaylee Greenlee Beal)
The damages being sought weren’t specified.
The Uvalde shooter had played versions of “Call of Duty” since he was 15, including one that allowed him to effectively practice with the version of the rifle he used at the school, according to the lawsuit. The families also accused Instagram of doing little to enforce its rules that ban marketing firearms and harmful content to children.
A video game industry trade group also pushed back on blaming games for violence, arguing research has found no link to the massacre.
“We are saddened and outraged by senseless acts of violence. At the same time, we discourage baseless accusations linking these tragedies to video game play, which detract from efforts to focus on the root issues in question and safeguard against future tragedies,” the Entertainment Software Association told Fox News Digital.
“The Uvalde shooting was horrendous and heartbreaking in every way, and we express our deepest sympathies to the families and communities who remain impacted by this senseless act of violence,” a spokesperson for Activision, the maker of the video game, told Fox News Digital. “Millions of people around the world enjoy video games without turning to horrific acts.
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FILE – Reggie Daniels pays his respects a memorial at Robb Elementary School, Thursday, June 9, 2022, in Uvalde, Texas. The 19 fourth-graders and two teachers killed at the elementary school are being remembered, Friday, May 24, 2024 as the second anniversary of the one of the deadliest school shootings in U.S. history is marked. (AP Photo/Eric Gay) (AP)
In a 2022 congressional hearing, Daniel Defense CEO Marty Daniels called the Uvalde shooting and others like it “pure evil” and “deeply disturbing.”
On Wednesday, families impacted by the tragedy filed a separate $500 million lawsuit against 91 Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) officers and the local school district over their response to the shooting.
Local law enforcement officials have been heavily criticized over the hesitation to confront the shooter, which some say could have saved lives.
“You think the city of Uvalde has enough money, or training, or resources? You think they can hire the best of the best?” Koskoff said at a press conference this week. “As far as the state of Texas is concerned, it sounds like their position is: You’re on your own.”
More than 370 federal, state and local officers converged on the scene, but waited more than 70 minutes before a team led by Border Patrol agents confronted and killed the gunman.
Javier Cazares, center, stands with families of the victims in the Uvalde elementary school shooting during a news conference on Wednesday in Uvalde, Texas. The families of 19 of the victims announced a lawsuit against nearly 100 state police officers who were part of the botched law enforcement response. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
“Nearly 100 officers from the Texas Department of Public Safety have yet to face a shred of accountability for cowering in fear while my daughter and nephew bled to death in their classroom,” Veronica Luevanos, whose daughter Jailah and nephew Jayce were killed, said in a statement reported by the Texas Tribune.
Fox News Digital has reached out to Meta, Daniel Defense and the makers of “Call of Duty.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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A deputy constable in Texas was “ambushed” and allegedly shot by a robbery suspect following a police pursuit in Harris County on Friday, Mark Herman, Harris County Constable for Precinct 4 confirmed.
The deputy constable was identified by Herman as Deteryon Fontonet.
“PLEASE PRAY FOR CONSTABLE DEPUTY DETERYON FONTONET,” Herman wrote on social media. “Please keep Deputy Deteryon Fontonet in your prayers. He was transported to a local hospital after he was ambushed and shot by a robbery suspect today.”
The unidentified suspect was later taken into custody, Herman said.
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Harris County, Texas, Deputy Constable Deteryon Fontonet was “ambushed” and shot by a robbery suspect following a police pursuit on Friday, according to Precinct 4 Constable Mark Herman. (Harris County Constable Precinct 4)
“Our deputy is going to be OK, he’s just going to need some surgery on his face,” Herman later said during a press conference. “The good lord was looking out for our deputy and I guess you could say the good Lord was looking out for this suspect that we didn’t kill him because we would have been within our rights to do so.”
Herman said there were 16 holes in the deputy’s patrol car “and there’s even holes through the window of the car where the deputy was standing.”
The deputy was “ambushed” in a residential neighborhood in Harris County, Texas. (FOX 26)
He said he plans to seek attempted capital murder of a peace officer charges.
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“This is just the world we live in,” he said.
The deputy was shot in the 5300 block of Slashwood Lane in Spring, Texas. (Google Maps)
The high-speed chase began after the suspect allegedly robbed two different Academy stores in Harris County with an AR-15, then failed to stop for Fontonet who recognized the suspect’s vehicle.
Fontonet was then fired on in the 5300 block of Slashwood Lane in Spring by the fleeing suspect, who ran into a home.
Harris County, Texas, Constable Mark Herman said the deputy is expected to pull through. (FOX 26)
The suspect was taken into custody after deputies surrounded the home where they were hiding.
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Eleven people were arrested in Claremont on Thursday as three undercover officers posing as prostitutes were contacted by 10 would-be customers and one pimp.
The Claremont Police Department “received multiple complaints from residents, business owners, and [passersby] regarding prostitution” near Indian Hill Boulevard and the 10 Freeway, police said in a news release.
At that location, the undercover officers posed as prostitutes and were solicited for sex by 10 “Johns,” or would-be customers, who were then arrested by other officers in the area, police said.
Those 10 people are:
- Alexander Anthony Guerra, 33 years old from Pomona
- Santos Villatamoreno, 35 years old from Highland
- Brian Eugene Cannon, 46 years old from Hesperia
- Stevey Macias Yanez, 47 years old from Pomona
- Jose Anaya, 30 years old from Pomona
- Jason Orellana, 25 years old from Pomona
- Sergio Andrade, 44 years old from Ontario
- Malik Edwards, 29 years old from Claremont
- Wilmer Hernandeznino, 32 years old from Ontario
- Isaias Castroesparza, 33 years old from Bloomington
Castroesparza is also a registered sex offender for sexual battery, police said.
An 11th man, Raheem Tiyon Blackmon, was also arrested for attempting to “pimp and pander” an undercover officer, authorities said. Blackmon, a 31-year-old from Antoich, was taken to a hospital for medical reasons, and his case will be presented to the District Attorney’s Office for possible charges.
The 10 alleged Johns were booked and released with citations for a pending appearance in Pomona Superior Court.
The oldest church in the continental United States is still functional today.
Many sources consider San Miguel Chapel in Santa Fe, New Mexico to be the oldest church in the country.
Since its original creation, around 1610, the church has been home to many events, including religious services, ceremonies, celebrations and more.
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Interested in a tour of the property?
San Miguel Chapel is widely considered as the oldest Catholic Church in the United States. (Universal Images Group via Getty Images; PHAS/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
Read on to learn more about this historic church.
- What is San Miguel Chapel famous for?
- What happened to San Miguel Chapel?
- Is San Miguel Chapel still open today?
1. What is San Miguel Chapel famous for?
The San Miguel Chapel is famous for being known as the oldest church in the United States.
The church is located in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
It was constructed “under the direction of Franciscan friars to serve a small congregation of soldiers, laborers, and Indians who lived in the Barrio de Analco,” per the church’s website.
San Miguel Chapel has gone through immense reconstruction since it was originally built. (Sepia Times/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
The first historical written record of the church dates back to 1628.
Yet many believe that the construction of the church dates back even further, according to the San Miguel Chapel website, with oral history putting the church’s creation around 1610, in tandem with the founding of Santa Fe.
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The chapel was dedicated to Archangel Michael.
A statue of him stands at the site of the church today, according to U.S. News & World Report.
2. What happened to San Miguel Chapel?
San Miguel Chapel has undergone reconstruction over the years.
Documentation retained by the church, according to its website, shows that the chapel was heavily damaged, including the roof being burned during the Pueblo Revolt of 1680, also known as Popé’s Rebellion.
Visitors can view the 780 pound San Jose Bell that used to be in the bell tower.
In 1710, San Miguel Chapel was rebuilt. Further repairs funded by the mayor of Santa Fe were done in 1798, according to the church’s website.
The community came together in 1887 for another rebuild when the church was in need of so many repairs, it was nearly demolished.
While the rebuilding of San Miguel Chapel has changed the structure from what it was when it was originally built, the church is still full of history.
For example, parts of the original walls still remain intact.
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Additionally, guests can view the 780 pound San Jose Bell that used to be in the bell tower.
Sadly, the tower fell in a storm back in 1872 — but the bell is still on display inside the chapel.
3. Is San Miguel Chapel still open today?
San Miguel Chapel is still open today.
San Miguel Chapel is full of history and unique architecture. The church is still open today. (Buddy Mays/Getty Images)
In addition to the religious services that have been regularly held at the church for hundreds of years, it has also been used for a number of other events, such as concerts, celebrations and ceremonies.
Visitors can go on a tour of the property, or attend one of the many events being held at the church.
An events calendar can be found online to see if there is anything you can attend during your visit.
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