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Instagram and Call of Duty “groomed” the 18-year-old gunman who killed 19 fourth-graders and two educators in the 2022 Robb Elementary School massacre in Uvalde, Tx., two bombshell lawsuits allege.
Families of the young victims filed the suits — one in California and the other in Texas — on Friday, the second anniversary of the deadliest school shooting.
According to the documents, the social media channel and the video game’s parent company, as well as the maker of the AK-47-style firearm that Salvatore Ramos used, helped train and equip the teenager for the mass killing.
“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.”
According to the lawsuits, Ramos played Call of Duty since he was 15, including one version that allowed him to effectively practice with the same version of the rifle he would later use in the massacre, making video game publisher Activision Blizzard “the most prolific and effective marketer of assault weapons in the United States.”
In the same filing, the families also accused Instagram of failing to enforce its own rules that allowed gunmaker Daniel Defense to advertise and sell its deadly wares on the Internet.
One such ad featured an image of a person taking an assault-style rifle out of the trunk of a car, along with the caption: “Refuse to be a victim.”
The second lawsuit, filed in Texas, accused Daniel Defense of violating state law by allowing Ramos to open an account on their online store before his 18th birthday.
Ramos ultimately ordered the weapon through the internet and picked it up at a Uvalde gun store, where he purchased a second firearm.
The company also allegedly connected with new customers through social media and Call of Duty.
“Simultaneously, on Instagram, the shooter was being courted through explicit, aggressive marketing. In addition to hundreds of images depicting and venerating the thrill of combat, Daniel Defense used Instagram to extol the illegal, murderous use of its weapons,” the families’ attorneys said in a statement.
Activision did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment, but told The New York Times that “we express our deepest sympathies to the families” in Uvalde, but added that “millions of people around the world enjoy video games without turning to horrific acts.”
Neither Meta nor Daniel Defense responded to request for comment.
The newest lawsuits come just days after some of the victims’ families filed a $500 million lawsuit against Texas state police officials and officers who were part of the botched law enforcement response that day.
More than 370 federal, state and local officers responded but waited more than an hour to confront the shooter inside the classroom as students and teachers lay dead, dying or wounded.
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Amanda Smith is a dedicated U.S. correspondent with a passion for uncovering the stories that shape the nation. With a background in political science, she provides in-depth analysis and insightful commentary on domestic affairs, ensuring readers are well-informed about the latest developments across the United States.
