Victims of Santa Fe, Texas, Shooting.Photo: Facebook/Instagram/GoFundMe
Families of the victims of the2018 Santa Fe, Texas, school shootingand some survivors have reached a settlement with the companies that sold and shipped ammunition the alleged shooter ordered online.
In 2020, survivors and families of the slain victims of the shooting filed a lawsuit against LuckyGunner, LLC, which sells ammunition online, and Red Stag Fulfillment LLC, which ships it, accusing them of “negligently” and “illegally” selling and delivering the ammunition to the alleged then-underaged gunman, the lawsuit states.
On May 18, 2018, Dimitrious Pagourtzis, 17 at the time, allegedly stormed into Santa Fe High School in Santa Fe, Texas, and fatally shot 10 students and teachers and wounded 13 others, say authorities.
Federal law prohibits anyone under 18 from buying handgun ammunition,The Tennesseanreports.
But in March 2018, Pagourtzis, the lawsuit alleged, was able to buy more than 100 rounds of handgun ammunition which was shipped to him.
Michael Ciaglo/Houston Chronicle/AP.
He allegedly used a prepaid gift card to buy the ammunition, the lawsuit stated.
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The terms of the settlement require the seller to maintain an age verification system when ammunition is sold, according to a statement from Everytown Law, the litigation arm of Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund, which represented some of the families.
“We got the outcome we were hoping for that from now on, Lucky Gunner will verify that you are the correct age to purchase ammunition,” says Rhonda Hart, whose 14-year-old daughter Kimberly Vaughan, was killed in the mass shooting.
“We also hope it starts a ripple effect for other companies that don’t age verify right now,” she says. “We’re hoping that this really sets that ball in motion.
“Hopefully it’s going to stop some underaged people from buying ammunition.”
In a statement emailed to PEOPLE, Lucky Gunner said that it “followed all laws in completing the sales.”
Calling the lawsuit “settled” and “dismissed,” the statement says, “Lucky Gunner is an industry leader in promoting gun safety, legal compliance, and customer service.
Kevin M. Cox /The Galveston County Daily News/AP.
“It is expected that anti-Second Amendment activists will falsely claim this lawsuit resulted in changes to business practices in the gun industry.
“However,” Jake Felde, Lucky Gunner Chief Executive Officer says in the statement, “We didn’t agree to do anything we weren’t already doing.”
The company began verifying ages in 2019, it said in an earlier statement.
In the earlier statement, Lucky Gunner said, “We agreed to continue with the same age verification process we have been using since 2019. We did not agree to change any part of our business as a part of the resolution of this lawsuit.”
In 2021, Lucky Gunner tried to have the lawsuit dismissed, arguing that it was entitled to immunity under federal law. The Texas Supreme Court rejected its appeal.
Attorney Clint McGuire, whose daughter was in the school during the shooting, represented some of the plaintiffs.
“Nothing will ever bring Sabika back,” Farah Naz, Sabika’s mother, said in a press release. “But we hope that this agreement sends a message to other sellers of dangerous products: it’s your responsibility to prevent your products from ending up in the wrong hands.”
Her father, Abdul Aziz, Sabika, said, “Sabika’s killer should never have been able to go online and buy ammunition with a few clicks.
“I rest easier knowing that this settlement agreement will prevent future illegal sales.”
The confidential settlement was reached in January,the Associated Press and theHouston Chroniclereport. It is unclear if a monetary settlement was part of the agreement.
Pagourtzis, now 22, is charged with capital murder for the alleged mass shooting.
He has yet to stand trial for his alleged crimes.
Since 2019, he has been at a state hospital receiving treatment for mental illness and ruled incompetent to stand trial.
In early February, a judge ordered him to continue receiving treatment at the hospital for up to another year,KTRKreports.
Red Stag Fulfillment did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
source: people.com
