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Group Sues Company Over Gun Used In '12 Rampage

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The company that sold a weapon used in a Christmas Eve shooting that left two Rochester-area volunteer firefighters dead is being sued by the victims.

The semi-automatic rifle used by William Spengler Jr. on Dec. 24, 2012 to kill two West Webster firefighters and wound two others was purchased at a Gander Mountain store by his neighbor Dawn Nguyen. Spengler couldn't buy the gun because he was a felon.

The Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence says it filed a lawsuit Tuesday on behalf of the four victims claiming that Minnesota-based Gander Mountain should have realized Nguyen was making a "straw purchase" for Spengler, who accompanied her into the store.

A spokesman for Gander Mountain said they haven't seen the lawsuit.

Nguyen and Spengler's estate also are named in the lawsuit.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press

 

 

Dave Lucas is WAMC’s Capital Region Bureau Chief. Born and raised in Albany, he’s been involved in nearly every aspect of local radio since 1981. Before joining WAMC, Dave was a reporter and anchor at WGY in Schenectady. Prior to that he hosted talk shows on WYJB and WROW, including the 1999 series of overnight radio broadcasts tracking the JonBenet Ramsey murder case with a cast of callers and characters from all over the world via the internet. In 2012, Dave received a Communicator Award of Distinction for his WAMC news story "Fail: The NYS Flood Panel," which explores whether the damage from Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee could have been prevented or at least curbed. Dave began his radio career as a “morning personality” at WABY in Albany.
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