Two Parkland school shooting victims’ families are charging that the gun maker and seller of the weapon used in the Florida massacre in February were complicit in their deaths.
The parents of Jamie Guttenberg and Alex Schacter were to hold a news conference on Thursday in Miami about their plans to take American Outdoor Brands and Sunrise Tactical Supply to court, WPEC-TV reported.
They are claiming the two companies are legally responsible and complicit in the rampage that left 17 dead and another 17 injured at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in February.
Others have plans to file lawsuits against suspect Nikolas Cruz in connection with the shooting.
Attorneys for Sunrise Tactical told NBC News in February the seller saw "no red flags" when Cruz purchased an AR-15 rifle before the shooting. It was the weapon authorities believe was used in the school shooting. The attorneys said Cruz had to provide identification and pass a background check to get the weapons in accordance with the law.
James Debney, chief executive of American Outdoor Brands, formerly known as Smith & Wesson, told The Guardian in March that the shooting was an "incomprehensible loss of life" but his company would continue to support the right of Americans to carry firearms.
Fred and Jennifer Guttenberg were identified by CNN as the father of Jamie Guttenberg, a 14-year-old student gunned down in the mass shooting.
"I am broken as I write this trying to figure out how my family gets through this," Fred Guttenberg said on Facebook in February after the shooting, CNN noted. "We appreciate all of the calls and messages and we apologize for not reacting to everyone individually. Hugs to all and hold your children tight."
Schacter, 14, participated in the school's marching band and his family set up a GoFundMe page to raise money for a scholarship in his name, CNN said.
The family announced on the GoFundMe page that half of the more than $262,000 raised will go to start a Safe Schools for Alex campaign, an effort to make school safer from such acts of violence.
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