The families of four children grievously injured in the mass shooting in Texas last month are suing dead gunman Salvador Ramos for $100m (£79.6m) through his estate.
On 24 May, the 18-year-old gunman went on a shooting spree with an assault rifle at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, killing 19 students and two teachers. The shooter was eventually killed by Border Patrol agents.
Each of the four children represented in the lawsuit suffered serious bullet injuries in different body parts, including on the face, the back, leg and shoulder.
Injury attorney Thomas Henry is also exploring all available legal actions against the responsible parties for violations of gun laws and constitutional rights.
“This initial lawsuit will allow us to discover evidence and possibly add other parties to the lawsuit, if necessary, the discovery process will focus on the school system, law enforcement, social media, and gun and ammunition manufacturers,” Mr Henry said in a statement.
“The one thing that is vital in our country right now is ensuring our children go to school and come home safe,” he said.
“We want to obtain justice for the families that have been devastated by this shooting and ensure we have swift changes that protect our children while they are at school,” he added.
According to the suit, “each of these children have undergone extensive medical care. Some have undergone multiple surgeries, they have all suffered severe physical injuries and unimaginable emotional trauma”.
“They witnessed their friends and teachers being shot and dying in front of them,” it added.
The plaintiffs have accused Ramos of assault and battery with a deadly weapon, intentional infliction of emotional distress and malice and demanded a trial by jury, Fox News reported.
Adriana Reyes, Ramos’s mother, has been named as a potential defendant since Ramos’s estate does not have an official representative.
Following the shooting, Ms Reyes said her son was not a “monster”, but could be aggressive. “I had an uneasy feeling sometimes, like ‘what are you up to’. He can be aggressive... If he really got mad,” she said.
The recent spate of mass shootings in the US over the past month has renewed the call for gun control, which has been opposed by the Republicans. Ramos legally purchased two AR-platform rifles on 17 and 20 May, according to law enforcement authorities.
Family members of the survivors have called for a ban on the AR-15 semiautomatic rifle used in shootings across the nation.
The gun, a civilian version of a weapon American troops used in Vietnam, is extremely popular among consumers.
Mass shooters in Buffalo, Aurora, Sandy Hook, Christchurch and other towns and cities around the world have used some version of an AR-15 rifle that has become a symbol for horrific gun violence.
Meanwhile, actor Matthew McConaughey made an appearance at the White House on Tuesday to call on Congress to “reach a higher ground” and pass gun-control legislation in honour of those killed in his hometown of Uvalde.
A gun owner himself, the actor called on Congress to bolster background checks for gun purchases and raise the minimum age to purchase semiautomatic rifles to 21 from 18.
“We want secure and safe schools and we want gun laws that won’t make it so easy for the bad guys to get the damn guns,” he said in a 22-minute speech.
