Lawsuits weighed against Walmart in aftermath of mass shooting
September 12, 2019
Two lawsuits have been filed against Walmart in the aftermath of the mass shooting that claimed 22 lives on August 3.
Law firms representing both suits allege that Walmart failed to appropriately protect patrons on the day of the shooting by not providing enough security at the location. The lawsuits also allege that other Walmart locations across the country were adequately guarded.
The first lawsuit was filed on September 3 by Jessica and Guillermo Garcia. The Garcia family was participating in a fundraiser at the stores entrance when the shooting began; they were selling goods to raise funds for their daughters soccer team, EP Fusion. Guillermo or “Memo” was shot first and remains hospitalized in critical condition due to a bullet hitting his spine. Jessica was also shot multiple times in the legs.
Their suit claims that the megastore was responsible for the protection of their customers. It also alleges this specific store, failed to do so. The Garcia family is requesting a restraining order to halt all construction and demolition within the store in order to keep intact the crime scene and evidence collected since the massacre.
In addition to the restraining order, family attorney Rob Ammons said they were also requesting information regarding Walmart’s security, how the El Paso store was rated on Walmart’s crime-database systems, and whether the El Paso Walmart managers altered store security practices in response to the hostage situation and shooting that took place at a Amarillo, Texas Walmart in 2016.
The second lawsuit filed on September 12 have also requested a temporary restraining order to preserve the scene of the shooting. According to a news release the lawsuit represented by Fears Nachawati Law Firm seeks to suspend proposed demolition of the site in order to investigate safety measures put in placed by the chain store.
The mass shooting that claimed the lives of 22 and injured two dozen more was carried out on Aug. 3 by alleged shooter Patrick Crusius. Crusius, 21, was indicted by an El Paso Grand Jury on September 12. He is being charged with capital murder. If convicted Crusius could face the death penalty or life in prison without the possibility of parole.