Buffalo, New York – Gun accessory maker linked to A racist shooting that killed 10 black people State Attorney General Letitia James said on Wednesday that the company would pay $1.75 million in a Buffalo supermarket to survivors and victims’ families and would stop selling the device in New York.
The agreement was settled with Georgia-based Mean Arms Lawsuit filed by James It covers claims filed by families of victims and survivors of the 2022 attack at Tops Friendly Market. They also reached agreements to resolve their separate claims against the family of gunman Payton Gendron and gun seller Vintage Firearms LLC, attorneys for the plaintiffs announced the day before.
The claims against Mean Arms focused on an item that secures a magazine to a rifle. The lock is supposed to prevent people from swapping high-capacity magazines, which is illegal in New York.
But according to James, Gendron easily removed the lock from an AR-15-style rifle and was able to add high-capacity magazines. She also said the company provided step-by-step instructions on the back of its product packaging on how to remove it.
“We hope that by holding this manufacturer accountable and preventing them from selling this device in New York State, we can provide the people of Buffalo with some measure of relief,” James, a Democrat, said at a news conference in the city.
Messages seeking comment were left for Mean Arms and its attorney.
Some relatives of the victims joined James on Wednesday and said the settlement was a step forward.
“No one should be able to walk into a store and, in two minutes, do this much damage to the community, to the family, to the children,” said Pamela Pritchett, who was her mother. Pearl Youngkilling. Young, 77, was a Sunday school teacher who ran a food pantry.
Everytown Law, which helped represent some of the survivors and relatives of the victims, said in a statement that the Vintage Firearms store has closed permanently and its owner has agreed to refrain from obtaining a federal firearms license in the future. Eric Tirschwell of Everytown Law said his clients’ settlements with Gendron’s parents were confidential.
Lawyers for the gunman’s parents and Vintage Firearms declined to comment.
Authorities say Gendron, who is white, targeted Tops, a supermarket in a predominantly black neighborhood, to attacks. The victims ranged in age from 32 to 86 and included a guard, a man shopping for a birthday cake, a grandmother of nine and the mother of a former Buffalo fire commissioner.
Gendron is serving a prison sentence Life in prison Without the possibility of parole thereafter Pleads guilty in November 2022 For multiple state charges including murder.
Prosecution on federal hate crimes and weapons charges It is expected to start this year. Gendron He has pleaded not guilty. The Justice Department said it would seek the death penalty.