ROCHESTER, N.Y. — A lawsuit filed Tuesday alleges a company acted negligently in selling a weapon used in a Christmas Eve shooting that left two volunteer firefighters dead.
The Associated Press reported that the semi-automatic rifle, used by William Spengler Jr. on Dec. 24, 2012, killed two West Webster firefighters and wounded two others. The gun was purchased at a Gander Mountain store by his neighbor Dawn Nguyen, because Spengler was a felon and couldn’t buy it himself.
The Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence says in the lawsuit filed on behalf of the four shooting victims that Gander Mountain should have realized Nguyen was making a “straw purchase” for Spengler, according to the report.
“The facts suggest that the loss we have endured could have been avoided, if only the store had acted responsibly,” the families of the victims said in a statement.
A spokesman for St. Paul, Minnesota-based Gander Mountain said the firearms were purchased with all the proper documentation and that the individual who bought the weapons “intentionally deceived” the company, according to the report.
“Gander Mountain, as a member of the National Shooting Sports Foundation, is renowned for its commitment to safety, its respect for the law and its good standing in the outdoor sporting community,” Gander spokesman Jess Myers said. “We will vigorously defend ourselves in this matter.”
Nguyen and Spengler’s estate also are named in the lawsuit.
Spengler set the fire to ambush firefighters during which Firefighters Michael Chiapperini and Tomasz Kaczowka were killed; Joseph Hofstetter and Ted Scardino were wounded. Spengler then killed himself.
Nguyen, 25, was sentenced Monday to a maximum term of 1 1/3 to four years in state prison on convictions that she lied on forms when she bought the guns, according to the report. She faces additional federal charges.
The lawsuit seeks to compel Gander Mountain to take steps to guard against straw purchases and also asks for unspecified damages, according to the report.