LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Editor's Note: Above video is from a news conference held Tuesday where attorneys commented on the new lawsuit.
Survivors of last year’s mass shooting at Old National Bank in downtown Louisville are suing the gun shop where the 25-year-old gunman purchased the AR-15 style rifle used in the tragedy.
The lawsuit, filed Monday on behalf of four survivors, plus the wives of Joshua Barrick and Jim Tutt, accuses River City Firearms of ignoring red flags when it sold a rifle to the gunman, Connor Sturgeon, days before the shooting.
Authorities found Sturgeon was experiencing a severe mental health crisis when he walked into the gun shop on April 4, 2023.
Despite this, Attorney Tad Thomas, who represents the victims' families and survivors, argues Sturgeon was able to purchase the AR-15 style rifle, “as well as three extra 30-round large capacity magazines, a red-dot sight, a vertical grip, and just enough ammunition to load each of his magazines once.”
Attorneys from Everytown Law and Romanucci & Blandin, who specialize in advocating for mass shooting survivors, have joined Thomas in this latest suit.
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‘Reckless dereliction of duty’
According to the suit, eyewitnesses noticed how Sturgeon demonstrated “a complete lack of knowledge or experience with firearms” while at the gun store, located on Preston Highway. They said he spoke in an “unusually quiet tone” and acted “embarrassed,” refusing to look others in the eyes.
The lawsuit said one woman nearly called the police after spending 20 minutes near him.
“Federally licensed firearms dealers (FFLs), like River City, are trained to spot individuals who are incapable of handling firearms responsibly or may have nefarious intentions,” Thomas said.
LMPD found Sturgeon had written notes about how easy it was to purchase the gun, saying he told the clerk a fake story about his friend’s home being burglarized and he needed protection for home defense.
The lawsuit said using an AR-15 for home defense, as a novice shooter, is “something that any responsible and experienced firearm salesman would admit” is a poor choice of weapon as it increases the danger to innocent people compared to a handgun.
“Given the red flags that Sturgeon presented at the time of purchase, it was a reckless dereliction of duty for River City to negligently entrust him with an AR-15-style rifle,” attorneys for the survivors said.
‘Preferred firearm for mass shooters’
The lawsuit said that Derrick and Tami Meyers founded the gun shop in December 2011, adding the couple “should have known that the AR-15 is the preferred firearm for mass shooters.”
Since 2012, 11 of the nation’s 15 largest mass shootings were carried out with AR-15 style firearms, attorneys said.
According to attorneys, as an FFL, River City Firearms had access to numerous resources from several agencies on how to identify and prevent dangerous firearms sales.
The lawsuit said those resources have two recommendations in common: asking what the firearm will be used for and, if something doesn’t feel right, dealers have the right to decline a sell.
“Sturgeon pulled the trigger of the assault rifle that killed, wounded, and traumatized the employees—his coworkers—at Old National Bank,” attorneys said. “But River City’s negligence was also a substantial cause of harm to each of the Plaintiffs.”
WHAS11 has reached out to River City Firearms for comment on the lawsuit but has not heard back.
This story will be updated if we do hear back.
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