A PSJA school trustee filed a lawsuit against Walmart on behalf of the mother of a man killed in a shooting spree in El Paso in August.
Jesse Zambrano, a personal injury attorney and a trustee for the Pharr-San Juan-Alamo Independent School District, announced Tuesday that his law firm filed a suit against the international retailer on behalf of Leonardo Campos.
Campos, a PSJA alum, and his wife were killed in El Paso when a gunman opened fire, killing 20 others and injuring dozens more. At the time of the shooting, Campos and his wife Maribel Hernandez were living in El Paso with their four children.
“I am honored to represent the mother of my high school friend to bring honor to his memory and punish all wrongdoers associated with this lawsuit,” Zambrano said in a statement Tuesday. “We want to make sure justice is served for my client and all related families who suffered tragic losses as a result of this incident.”
The Zambrano Law Firm partnered with Robert Ammons and Patrick Luff of The Ammons Law Firm, a national personal injury practice who has represented victims of other mass shootings, to bring the suit forward, according to the document.
The petition marks the first time a Rio Grande Valley firm brings a lawsuit against the retail giant in connection with the El Paso massacre, the release stated.
“The suit claims Wal-Mart had a responsibility to protect its customers and Wal-Mart failed to live up to its legal duty because it did not employ security guards to patrol the store among other security measures,” Zambrano indicated in his announcement. “The El Paso Wal-Mart location where the shootings occurred does not appear to have had any armed guards for security, although a number of other Wal-Marts around the country do.”
The retailer responded to the news release with its own statement Wednesday.
“We will never forget this tragic event, and our condolences continue to go out to everyone who was affected,” the company stated via email. “Safety is a top priority and we care deeply about our associates and customers. We will respond as appropriate with the court.”
Walmart also indicated the original complaint filed by the Ammons Law Firm had been amended to add Campos’ mother, and said no new allegations were included in that complaint.
