Highland Park massacre victims sue, CPD agrees to improve access to lawyers at stations and more in your Chicago news roundup

Good afternoon. Here’s the latest news you need to know in Chicago. It’s about a five-minute read that will brief you on today’s biggest stories.

This afternoon will be mostly sunny with a high near 59 degrees. Tonight will be partly cloudy with a low near 43 degrees. Tomorrow will be mostly sunny with a high near 63.

Top story

Highland Park Fourth of July massacre: first lawsuits filed, say attack ‘predictable and preventable’

Families of three people killed in the Highland Park Fourth of July parade massacre and dozens who were wounded filed suit today in Lake County against gun maker Smith & Wesson, two gun stores, the man who’s been charged in the shootings and his father, accusing them in part of violating Illinois consumer laws in the lead-up to the attack.

“Our legal theory on the complaint is that this was predictable and preventable,” said attorney Anthony Romanucci, whose Romanucci & Blandin law firm is part of a legal team filing a series of lawsuits, asserting the “shooter was the type of a young consumer susceptible to Smith & Wesson’s deceptive and unfair marketing, and was enabled by his father.”

The civil actions — separate from the criminal charges that shooting suspect Robert Crimo III faces — cite what they say were violations of the Illinois Consumer Fraud Act, which prohibits consumer fraud and deceptive practices.

The lawsuits, which could have wide implications for gun makers, were filed against the following parties:

Smith & Wesson, the maker of the M&P15 line, the assault-style weapon used in the July 4 attack that killed seven people and wounded more than 48. The gun maker, the lawsuits say, “markets its assault rifles to young, impulsive men by appealing to their propensity for risk and excitement,” by maintaining an active presence on social media using violent video games — including ones played by Crimo — and social influencers as marketing tools.

Bud’s Gun Shop in Lexington, Ky., an online gun retailer, and Red Dot Arms, a gun store in Lake County where, in July 2020, Crimo (then 19) picked up the Smith & Wesson M&P15 ordered from Bud’s Gun Shop. The lawsuits say the two gun stores never should have sold Crimo the assault rifle because they knew his billing address and were “aware that the shooter was a resident of Highland Park or Highwood,” communities where it is illegal for residents to “acquire and possess assault weapons.”

Crimo, who is being held in the Lake County jail on more than 100 charges that include murder, attempted murder and aggravated battery, turned 22 on Sept. 20. The lawsuits say the shooter “was exactly the type of unstable and impressionable young consumer, obsessed with violence and filled with hatred and depressive thoughts, susceptible to Smith & Wesson’s marketing and more likely to engage in dangerous behavior.”

Robert Crimo Jr., who signed the papers needed for his son, because he was a minor, to purchase a weapon. The senior Crimo “enabled the shooter’s thirst for violence by sponsoring his FOID application, despite his knowledge that the shooter was disturbed and threatened violence.” The father, the lawsuits say, cleared the way for his son to obtain a weapon despite the younger Crimo’s past threats to kill his family and himself.

Lynn Sweet has more on the suit here.

More news you need

1. With the series of lawsuits, families and victims are speaking out, some for the first time, about the life-changing loss, trauma and fear they are suffering — and their determination to hold those they say are responsible accountable. You can read excerpts of their harrowing testimonies here.
2. A federal grand jury has indicted James Sajdak, a former longtime Chicago police officer, on civil rights charges for an alleged kidnapping and sexual assault in March 2019. Our Jon Seidel has more on the case here.
3. A convicted felon may have been suffering “a mental health episode” when he broke into a Chicago police facility, grabbed unloaded guns from a table and aimed at officers before he was shot, his public defender said today. Assault and burglary charges have been filed against the 47-year-old.
4. The U.S. Department of Labor has proposed a $201,000 fine for Chicago-based Ferrara Candy Co. for safety violations at the company’s suburban Bellwood factory. Our David Struett has more on the reported violations here.
5. Getting your phone call while in the custody of Chicago police should get easier after city officials today settled a lawsuit with activist and legal aid groups alleging CPD routinely denied arrestees access to lawyers. The lawsuit demanded CPD install phones in every interrogation room, make all detainees aware of their right to counsel, and allow them to make a call within a reasonable amount of time after arriving at the station.
6. Residents of several Alden nursing homes in the city and suburbs filed a lawsuit yesterday accusing the nursing home operator of endangering residents by understaffing facilities, leading to illness and injury. The suit, which seeks class-action status, names six Alden facilities — three in Chicago and one each Cicero, Harvey and McHenry — that house about 1,400 people combined.

A bright one

In ‘Bros,’ Billy Eichner’s just a boy, sitting in front of a boy, making a terrific rom-com

When Bobby Met Aaron …

The result is “Bros,” one of the funniest, smartest, warmest and most enjoyable romantic comedies in recent years, writes Sun-Times critic Richard Roeper in his 3½-star review.

The film could be considered a 21st century update of classic films of the genre from the 1980s and 1990s and 2000s, from “When Harry Met Sally …” to “You’ve Got Mail,” from “Notting Hill” to “Love, Actually,” from “Four Weddings and a Funeral” to “Jerry Maguire.”

Nicole Rivelli/Universal Pictures via AP

To be sure, this is a special moment for movies, seeing as how this is a mainstream, theatrical release, R-rated gay rom-com featuring a cast of LGBTQ actors, and of course we should salute that — but for all its forward-thinking casting, cutting-edge references, sexual frankness and cultural awareness, “Bros” should also be celebrated for creating an instant near-classic of the genre, filled with so many of the touchstones we’ve come to expect from romantic comedies and featuring crisp writing and a host of richly layered performances from actors who can handle quick comedy as well as legit drama, Roeper writes.

It’s all here, from the Meet Cute to the Awkward Early Courtship Scenes to the Wisecracking Friends who Exist Mainly to Comment on Your Life to the Scene Where They Buy a Christmas Tree, and we could keep going but you know the formula — and in the hands of director/co-writer Nicholas Stoller (“Forgetting Sarah Marshall,” “The Five-Year Engagement,”) and co-writer/star Billy Eichner, “Bros” hits the bullseye on so many rom-com notes, albeit in a very 2022 setting with a wonderfully diverse cast of supporting players. T

This is a story set in the world of Grindr and throuples and poppers and bottom/top talk and and while the situations in “Bros” are rooted in gay culture, this is primarily a story about two human beings who have been saying forever they’re not looking for love — but maybe they’ve been looking in all the wrong places, you know?

Read Roeper’s full review here.

From the press box

• Rick Morrissey on a disastrous White Sox season that puts the team in Chicago sports infamy: “If [team owner Jerry] Reinsdorf doesn’t fix things in the offseason, it will reinforce the obvious: that he’s his own worst enemy — and possibly yours.”
• Bulls center Andre Drummond hopes to add an element of toughness to the team this season.
• Cubs catcher Willson Contreras’ top priority in free agency? “I want to be somewhere that I’m wanted.”
• Blackhawks first-round pick Kevin Korchinski made his debut with the team in a preseason loss to the Blues last night.

Your daily question☕

If you were writing a Chicago-set romcom, where in the city would your lovebirds meet?

Send us an email at newsletters@suntimes.com and we might feature your answer in the next Afternoon Edition.

Yesterday, we asked you: Name one Chicagoan who inspires you. Here’s what some of you said...

“Toni Preckwinckle. Honest and competent. Barack Obama a close second.” — Andrew Zwick

“Tim Samuelson. His passion for Chicago history and his unending curiosity that keeps him active and collaborating with a range of people, starting in his early youth, to retirement —and beyond. He is one of those people who reminds me that in a big, active city where there are just so many of us, it’s still possible to bring something unique to the table. See also — Paul Durica and Eric J. Nordstrom. Oh, and Studs Terkel, though he’s no longer with us. What a beautiful human being.” — Shira Raider

“Pastor Cory Brooks he is on a mission to build a center for youth.” — John Green

“Carl Sandburg. His poetry about Chicago is beautiful.” — Andrew Bell

“Michael Vasilas from Greek Prime Kitchen & Bar. Loves the community and throughout the pandemic, always has a smile on his face.” — Mike Pilatos

“Mayor Lori Lightfoot, the Rev. Jesse Jackson and Barack and Michelle Obama.” — Karri Bolling

“Jeanne Gang. She designs beautiful buildings and loves what she does.” — Craig Barner

“Melody Angel because she runs for justice.” — Jeff Hornstein

“Theaster Gates, who combines art, intellect, music, real estate improvements and public speaking to be a titan on the humanities scene both here and elsewhere.” — Geraldine Conrad

“Curtis Mayfield. He had hits in multiple decades, and created his own label and studio in Chicago where he recorded, produced and published iconic hits like ‘Superfly.’” — Dan Schiller

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