Fleet Farm gun lawsuit: Trove of documents, videos and evidence released

(FOX 9) - Nearly four years after the State of Minnesota sued retailer Fleet Farm for not doing enough to prevent the illegal straw purchase of dozens of guns, evidence connected to the case has been publicly released—which includes hundreds of court records, internal corporate documents, surveillance video and the company’s training videos.

‘Does anybody else find this suspicious?’

The backstory:

Surveillance video reviewed by the FOX 9 Investigators shows Jerome Horton Jr. purchasing multiple handguns on multiple occasions at a Fleet Farm store in Blaine. One of the guns was later used in a mass shooting in downtown Saint Paul. 

Horton was later convicted for making dozens of illegal straw purchases, which is when someone with a clean record buys a gun for someone else who can’t pass a background check. 

Internal company records reveal Fleet Farm employees were aware of Horton’s history of frequent firearms purchases and in an email on July 31, 2021, a store manager alerted corporate and asked "if we should stop any future sales from this customer?" 

Fleet Farm never responded, according to the company’s internal records, and Horton went on to purchase 11 more guns in later transactions. 

"It shows how internally, they just didn't meet the mark when it came to what they had to do to stop sales like this from happening," assistant Attorney General Eric Maloney told the FOX 9 Investigators. "I do hope that other retailers, both in Minnesota and throughout the whole country, could take that as an example of what they need to tighten up when it comes to their firearm sales."

Later that year, Fleet Farm used Horton’s case to train its own employees on how to spot red flags for possible straw purchases. 

"Does anybody else find this suspicious?" said Fleet Farm’s corporate firearms compliance officer Michelle Granato during a recorded training video. "They’re coming in, they’re buying 9mm, they’re buying handguns—it appears to be pretty obvious what’s going on here." 

Granato was the corporate employee who did not respond after being made aware of Horton’s string of firearms purchases, according to internal corporate records reviewed by the FOX 9 Investigators.

What they're saying:

For years, Fleet Farm denied any wrongdoing. 

As part of the settlement, the retailer did not admit fault but agreed to implement improved training to identify potential straw purchasers, use new software to track firearm sales across its various store locations and impose internal disciplinary measures for employees who do not follow guidelines. 

"We condemn gun violence and remain committed to partnering with law enforcement and community leaders to help keep our communities safe," said Fleet Farm in a statement following the settlement.

Timeline:

Fleet Farm settled the lawsuit more than three years after Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison filed a civil lawsuit against the Midwest retailer, alleging the company negligently sold dozens of firearms to straw buyers. 

"It's not easy. People are kind of scared to take on the gun industry," said Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison.

One of the guns Horton illegally purchased was later used in the fatal mass shooting at the Truck Park bar in Saint Paul in October 2021 where 27-year-old Marquisha Wiley was killed and more than a dozen others were injured.

Fleet Farm sold a total of 24 guns to Horton, many of which surfaced at crime scenes, including when a 6-year-old boy found a loaded handgun in his front yard in south Minneapolis.

Roughly half of the guns Horton illegally purchased have not been recovered, which a federal judge said "pose an ongoing public safety threat to Minnesotans." 

What's next:

Attorney General Ellison is also suing Glock over its handgun design, claiming they can be easily modified with a "switch" conversion device to operate like an illegal machine gun.

Glock is fighting those accusations in federal court.

InvestigatorsCrime and Public Safety