Scheels faces wrongful death lawsuit after teen's shooting in Eden Prairie store
A man died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound at Scheels in the Eden Prairie Center. (FOX 9 / FOX 9)
EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. (FOX 9) - Scheels and one of its employees are facing a wrongful death lawsuit after a 19-year-old man fatally shot himself inside the Eden Prairie store in 2022.
What we know
On Aug. 22, 2022, Jordan Markie went to the firearm section of Scheels and walked around for several minutes. During that time, the lawsuit claims, he appeared nervous and tested the gun cabinets to see if they were locked.
Eventually, he asked an employee to see a semi-automatic handgun inside a locked cabinet. About 30 seconds after the store employee handed the firearm over, Mackie took off running, loading the gun with ammunition, and fired a single shot.
Authorities believe Mackie brought the ammunition from home and the lawsuit claims he had stolen ammunition from the store on two previous occasions.
The lawsuit
On Thursday, Markie's mother filed a lawsuit in Hennepin County against Scheels and its employee who gave the teenager a firearm, which he later used to shoot himself inside the store.
The lawsuit alleges the store should have refused the teenager's request to see the firearm due to his odd behavior in the store and that the employee did not take proper steps to ensure he was of age, including asking for identification.
RELATED: Gun sales protocol questioned, following Scheels incident
The lawsuit claims the store employee failed to remove the magazine from the weapon, and the firearm was reportedly not equipped with other safety measures, such as a trigger lock or plastic ties, which would have disabled the gun before handing it over.
"In an impulsive act, he killed himself with a handgun made available to him through Defendants’ negligent conduct, even though he was not old enough to purchase the gun. Jordan would be alive today if Defendants had taken basic, industry-standard steps pertaining to the display and sale of handguns," the lawsuit read.
What they’re saying
"As stated in the complaint, Jordan would be alive today had the defendants not given him a handgun that he was too young to purchase," said Alla Lefkowitz, Managing Director of Affirmative Litigation at Everytown Law and counsel for Jordan’s mother, Sarah Van Bogart. "It is well documented that putting time and space between a person in crisis and a firearm can reduce suicidal risk and save lives. Instead, Scheels took less than 30 seconds to place an operable gun in Jordan’s hands. This lawsuit seeks to impose accountability on those whose actions led to Jordan’s tragic death."
Markie’s mother also released a statement about her son:
"Jordan was kind, artistic, and full of empathy and compassion for others. Our family misses him every single day. Far too many mothers share my pain. Too many families share an empty chair at the kitchen table because of suicide by firearm. Jordan should have never been handed that gun, let alone an unlocked weapon just steps away from accessible ammunition. My son should be alive today. I want to hold Scheels accountable to make sure no mother experiences a similar tragedy in the future."
FOX 9 has reached out to Scheels for comment.
What’s next?
The lawsuit is asking for compensatory damages for harm and suffering in Markie’s death in excess of $50,000, in addition to other relief that may be justified, according to court records.
The lawsuit was filed in Hennepin County on Thursday.