Family of victim and survivors of Indianapolis FedEx mass shooting file lawsuit against gun magazine manufacturer and distributors
CNN
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The family of one of the victims and several survivors of the mass shooting at a FedEx facility in Indianapolis has filed a lawsuit against companies involved in the manufacturing, marketing and sale of high-capacity magazines used by the 2021 shooter who killed Eight people died and several others were injured. .
The federal lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York, targets a gun dealer and magazine manufacturer, accusing the companies of recklessly marketing and selling their products to impulsive young people at risk of violence.
Brandon Hole, 19, the shooter in the April 15, 2021 attack. Have worked at this facility before and shot his former colleague before killing himself. About a year before the attack, Hall browsed white supremacist websites. CNN previously reported. According to police, his mother contacted police in March 2020 because she was concerned about his behavior and threatening comments he made after purchasing the gun.
The suit was filed on Thursday on behalf of Jaswinder Singh, who was killed in the shooting, Harpreet Singh, who was injured, and his wife Dilpreet Kaur Kaur and the estate of Lakhwinder Kaur, who was injured in the attack. They each seek at least $75,000 from the lawsuit and a jury trial, according to the complaint.
The lawsuit targets American Tactical Inc., a U.S. firearms importer, manufacturer and seller, as well as the company’s president and director of marketing and purchasing. Schmeisser GmbH, a German firearms manufacturer, and 365 Plus doo, a Slovenian company that designs, produces and distributes firearms accessories and other tactical equipment, are also named as defendants.
The lawsuit alleges that the three companies were involved in the manufacture, marketing and sale of 60-round high-capacity magazines that were “repeatedly used to slaughter and terrorize Americans in horrific mass shootings as early as April 2021.” “.
The lawsuit alleges that the companies gave Hole easy access to the magazines and targeted their marketing campaigns at “a consumer base of impulsive young people who believe they need to hurt others to prove their power and who have a militaristic view of war.” Delusion” or video games. ”
“What this case involves is when the Company designed, marketed, sold and distributed these accessories to the public with reckless abandon, indiscriminate distribution to the public and failure to adhere to reasonable safeguards,” the lawsuit states.
American Tactical declined to comment to CNN about the lawsuit. Lawyers for the other defendants did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The lawsuit alleges that Schmeisser GmbH manufactures the magazines used in mass shootings and distributes them in the United States through American Tactical and 365 Plus.
“The large magazine capacity emboldened the shooter to strike knowing he had the ability to fire 60 consecutive rounds without having to stop to reload,” the lawsuit states.
A marketing video promoted by American Tactical showed men wearing tactical vests similar to those worn by Hole in the 2021 attack “firing a continuous stream of bullets at unseen targets during various offensive tactical operations,” according to the complaint.
The lawsuit accuses gun companies of placing “unreasonably dangerous products on the market without adequate safeguards to prevent their foreseeable unlawful use.”
The Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence, a gun control advocacy group that hired two of several attorneys representing the plaintiffs, wrote in a statement to CNN that the nonprofit is “working hard to provide these Survivors and their families demand justice and stop U.S. Tactical, Inc. from being held accountable for their irresponsible marketing and sales practices. ”
“Regardless, if you decide to sell such highly lethal products to the public, you need to be very careful to whom you sell them to. As we allege in our complaint, the defendants here have taken a hard line and specifically sold dangerous products to the public.” The crowd promotes their highly lethal product,” said Phillip Bangle, senior litigation committee member at the Brady Center.
