CRIME
Victims’ Families And Survivors Of Louisville Bank Shooting Sue Gun Store For Making ‘Suspicious’ Sale
WDRB
Attorneys representing survivors and families of those killed in last year’s mass shooting at Old National Bank in Louisville, Ky., have filed a civil lawsuit against the gun store that sold the weapons to the shooter for allegedly ignoring the warning signs of a suspicious sale.
Former Old National Bank employee Connor James Sturgeon, 25, shot and killed five bank employees and wounded eight others, including responding officers, on April 10, 2023. He purchased the gun, along with accessories, at River City Firearms the week before.
The survivors are represented by Romanucci & Blandin, LLC, Everytown Law, and Thomas Law Offices, which are working collaboratively on the lawsuit filed in Jefferson Circuit Court in Jefferson County.
“The Old National Bank mass shooting in Louisville wasnt just an act of one troubled young man,” Antonio M. Romanucci, founding partner at Romanucci & Blandin, said in a statement. “As our complaint alleges, the shooter was allowed to purchase an assault weapon because River City Firearms ignored obvious red flags that they were specifically warned about. They were negligent in their responsibilities and chose to make a profit over protecting the community. The gun store and its owners bear responsibility for the devastation at the bank that morning, and our lawsuit seeks to hold them accountable.”
According to the complaint, Sturgeon appeared uneasy while in the gun store, avoided eye contact, and had a complete lack of knowledge about firearms. Attorneys say licensed dealers like River City are warned by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) not to proceed with suspicious sales.
The complaint alleges that in addition to ignoring the warning signs of a suspicious sale, River City prioritized profits when they upsold the shooter, selling him equipment including three additional 30-round magazines, a red-dot sight to increase his accuracy and a vertical grip for greater control of the weapon.
“In this day and age, every licensed firearms dealer is well-aware of the consequences of selling an assault weapon to a customer exhibiting warning signs of instability and knows that they should err on the side of declining a transaction, said Alla Lefkowitz, senior director of affirmative litigation at Everytown Law.
River City failed in its obligation when it sold an assault weapon and all the deadly accessories to a customer who couldnt even meet their eye and had no idea how to handle a weapon, Lefkowitz said.
The plaintiffs include Julie Anderson, Jimmy Evans, Dana Mitchell, and Stephanie Dallas Schwartz, all employees who were shot and wounded, as well as the families of James Tutt and Joshua Barrick, who were shot and killed.
My initial relief was that I had survived. But in the days and weeks following, the guilt of being one of the survivors was paralyzing, said survivor Dana Mitchell. I am extremely grateful for life and the opportunity to make a difference. But I am forever sad and heartbroken at the loss we all suffered that day. It was all unnecessary and could have been avoided. We have to do better. We have to.”
The estates of Tommy Elliott and Juliana Farmer, who were both killed, are represented by attorney Hans Poppe of The Poppe Law Firm, which will also be filing a complaint on their behalf, working in collaboration with the other law firms.
“The devastation done to the Louisville community by this mass shooting is immeasurable, and our clients lives are forever altered because of it, said Tad Thomas, Attorney and Founder of Thomas Law Offices. They deserve justice for the harms they suffered, but they also feel strongly about using this litigation to bring positive change so other people dont have to suffer in the same way.
TMX contributed to this article.
