Smith & Wesson sued by family of man killed in Highland Park parade shooting

HIGHLAND PARK, Ill. — The family of a Waukegan man killed in the Highland Park 2022 Fourth of July parade shooting has sued gun manufacturer Smith & Wesson.

The lawsuit was filed Friday by law firm Koskoff, Koskoff & Becker on behalf of the family of Eduardo Uvaldo, one of seven people killed in the mass shooting. The lawsuit alleges that Smith & Wesson marketed an AR-15-style weapon to teenagers, despite its use in previous mass shootings.

The lawsuit cites Smith & Wesson as the manufacturer of the M&P 15, “the AR-15-style weapon used in the shooting.” The lawsuit alleges that “the company’s decision to continue marketing and selling the weapon — particularly to teenagers — constituted a negligent entrustment and violated an Illinois state consumer protection law in its promotion of the lethal and criminal use of the weapon.”

Uvaldo, notes a press release from Koskoff, Koskoff & Becker, immigrated to the United States from Mexico when he was 15. He had four daughters, 13 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. Married to wife Maria for 52 years, the release says Uvaldo had recently retired before he was killed in the mass shooting at a parade he attended every year, a day shy of his 70th birthday.

“Eduardo was a kind, loving, hardworking man who adored his family,” the Uvaldo family said in a joint statement. “He was taken too soon, because of the actions of both a disturbed man and the greedy corporation that made and marketed his weapon.

“As we work to honor his memory, part of that is fighting to keep other families from knowing this indescribable pain. The shooter may be facing justice, but he could not have acted with that weapon if not for the choices and actions of Smith & Wesson.”

A group of survivors and families of children who were present at the parade are also part of the lawsuit. The complaint additionally names Budsgunshop.com and Red Dot Arms, alleging both sold the weapon to someone they knew was not allowed to have it, along with Robert Crimo III, the accused shooter, and his father, Robert Crimo Jr., who served a 60-day jail sentence after pleading guilty to reckless conduct for sponsoring his son’s gun application.

Crimo III, 23, was initially charged with 21 counts of first-degree murder, three counts for each person killed, as well as 48 counts of attempted murder and 48 counts of aggravated battery. He is scheduled for trial in February.

Last week Wednesday, Crimo appeared in a Lake County courtroom and was expected to plead guilty to seven counts of first-degree murder and 48 counts of aggravated battery with a firearm. But in a stunning scene, Crimo rejected the plea deal that would’ve imprisoned him for life and made him ineligible for release.

Koskoff, Koskoff & Bieder won a large settlement for nine Sandy Hook families in 2022 against Remington for its marketing of the weapon used in the 2012 mass shooting at an elementary school in Newtown, Conn. Additionally, the firm represents 19 families who lost loved ones in the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, in 2022.

“Smith & Wesson was once an iconic American company that did things the right way — they refused to even make AR-15s — until new leadership with complete disregard for public safety transformed the company from the model of responsibility to one of recklessness,” Josh Koskoff of Koskoff, Koskoff & Bieder said in the release. “Smith & Wesson learned that while mass shootings were horrific for families and communities across America, they were also great for business.

“With each new mass shooting came a sales surge, and the company doubled down on its strategy to reach youth and promote a first-person style shooting experience. The Highland Park shooter was a deeply troubled teen, as so many are, but to Smith & Wesson he was the perfect target. The M&P 15 may have made the company a couple hundred bucks, but it cost the Uvaldo family everything.”

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