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Dayton Shooting Survivors, Family Suing Manufacturer Of Gun Equipment

LaSandra James wipes away tears in a press conference on Monday as attorneys describe how the 100-round magazine was used in the Oregon District in 2019 and in mass shootings across the country. She is the legal guardian of her two granddaughters after their mother died in the attack two years ago.
Chloe Murdock
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Screen Capture
LaSandra James wipes away tears in a press conference on Monday as attorneys describe how the 100-round magazine was used in the Oregon District in 2019 and in mass shootings across the country. She is the legal guardian of her two granddaughters after their mother died in the attack two years ago.

This Wednesday is the second anniversary of a mass shooting in Dayton. Survivors and family members of the nine people who died are suing the manufacturer of the gun magazine used in the shooting.

That extended magazine was used by the gunman in the 2019 mass shooting in Dayton’s Oregon District. Nine people died and 27 more were injured in a span of 30 seconds.

The lawsuit was filed on August 2, just days before the 2-year anniversary of the shooting. The lawsuit claims that the level of carnage was possible because KCI marketed and sold a gun magazine that can carry 100 rounds of ammunition at a time.

LaSandra James is the mother of Lois Oglesby, who died in the shooting. She says the anniversary of their mother’s death hangs over her two granddaughters.

“She’s counting the roses and saying, asking, ‘How, Nana, how is this possible that one person could kill nine people that fast?’" James said. "She needs answers.”

Attorneys are calling for the manufacturer to pay damages. They’re also filing an injunction to prevent the company from selling and marketing these magazines to the public.

The Brady organization, which lobbies to prevent gun violence, is helping to represent the wrongful death lawsuit. Brady attorney Jonathan Lowy says many mass shootings have been possible because of high capacity magazines that allow shooters to fire between 75 to 100 rounds without reloading.

“This is unacceptable,” Lowy said. “There is a reason why so many places in America are being transformed into war zones and that’s because there are companies that are recklessly marketing tools of war to the public.”

Additional reporting by Statehouse News Bureau correspondent Jo Ingles.