(28 Sep 2022)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
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POOL
Northbrook, Illinois - 28 September 2022
1. Wide of press conference
ANNOTATION: Survivors of the mass shooting at a July 4 parade and families of those killed filed lawsuits against the manufacturers of the rifle used in the attack.
2. SOUNDBITE (English) Antonio Romanucci, attorney:
"They designed and marketed an M & P assault rifle to do exactly what the shooter did on July 4th. And that has changed people's lives forever. The one question that you will have is, what is this lawsuit about? Well, let me tell you what this lawsuit is about in half a sentence: This shooter was a shill for Smith & Wesson's marketing and advertising policy to do exactly what it wanted it to do.'
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3. SOUNDBITE (English) Lauren Bennett, parade shooting survivor:
"Sitting at a 4th of July parade in Highland Park, which has always been a place of safety. I would never have imagined that the turbulent sound I heard and hail of concrete fragments and shrapnel that I saw was actually a maelstrom of bullets from a Smith & Wesson M & P 15. Within the first few seconds, while most people were unaware of what was happening. I was hit for the first time. I felt a tight shock in my back and hip and saw my entire lower left side was bleeding. I knew right then we were under attack. At that precise moment. I assumed I was a target and maybe I was, because when I got up to run, I was hit again by another bullet that deeply cut through my upper back."
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STORYLINE:
Survivors of the mass shooting at a suburban Chicago Independence Day parade and family members of those killed filed 11 lawsuits Wednesday against the manufacturer of the rifle used in the attack, accusing gun-maker Smith & Wesson of illegally targeting its ads at young men at risk of committing mass violence.
The sweeping effort by dozens of victims of the Highland Park shooting, anti-gun violence advocates and private attorneys announced Wednesday is the latest bid to hold gun manufacturers accountable for a mass killing despite broad protections for the industry in federal law.
The group's strategy mirrors the approach used by relatives of victims of the 2012 Sandy Hook school killings, who in February reached a $73 million settlement with the firearm company that produced the rifle used in that attack. That was believed to be the largest payment by a gun-maker related to a mass killing and hinged on the families' accusation that Remington violated Connecticut consumer protection law by marketing its AR-15-style weapons to young men already at risk of committing violence.
The victims also are suing the accused gunman for assault and battery and intentional infliction of emotional distress and his father, Robert Crimo Jr., for negligence, particularly for sponsoring his son's application for a state firearms license in 2019 within months of the 19-year-old attempting to kill himself and threatening family members.
Two gun sellers are accused of violating bans on assault weapons in Highland Park and the accused gunman's home town of Highwood.
Crimo III faces 21 counts of first-degree murder, 48 counts of attempted murder and 48 counts of aggravated battery, representing those killed and wounded during the parade in Highland Park.
Lake County prosecutors have not filed any criminal charges against his father and have repeatedly declined to discuss the possibility that Crimo Jr. could be charged in the future.
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