BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — Families of the Tops shooting victims, survivors from that day, and lawyers announced on Wednesday at Elim Christian Fellowship that they are filing a 171-page lawsuit against the corporations they feel are responsible for what happened on May 14th
The family members of seven Tops shooting victims as well as survivors are seeking justice more than one year after a racially motivated shooting took ten of our neighbors.
Aaron Salter's wife, Kimberly, was emotional, talking about that day, inside of the church.
"It didn't just end on 5/14. We live this each and every day each and every moment of the day. I stand here still grieving my husband's loss," Salter said.
The family of Ruth Whitfield also shared their pain Wednesday morning.
"I can't give her a hug. we can't go fishing or camping. We can't do anything else ever again," Robin Harris, daughter of Whitfield, said.
Garnell Whitfield added: "And all of us, all of us are hurting. All of us feel all of the things that have been said and then some."
Now, families impacted by that tragic day want to see accountability, including Zeneta Everhart. Her son Zaire Goodman was shot but survived the attack.
"Social media, gun manufacturers have to be held accountable. Zaire has pieces of those bullets in his body and they will be there forever," Everhart said.
Attorneys Terry Connors and Ben Crump alongside several other lawyers filed this lawsuit against big-name companies like Meta, Reddit, Twitch, Google and Youtube. The gunman's parents are also named in this civil suit that's demanding a jury trial.
"The influence, the radicalization, the engagement, the enablement that occurred on the internet is something that has to stop," Connors said.
The lawsuit states that the Buffalo shooter "was radicalized by overexposure to racist tropes, themes and content online," and that "social media has been integral to the rise of white supremacy."
Crump said he believes this will be a 'landmark' lawsuit and hopes the companies who are held responsible will change practices so that this never happens again.
"This is one step closer to trying to get to justice. This is a long journey but they are prepared," Crump said, "and it is our objective as we said previously to make sure that everybody who loaded that gun is held to account."
The families of the Tops shooting victims and survivors are now praying this lawsuit will bring them justice.
"We are here to make a change," Pam Young, daughter of Pearl Young said, "People will know what happened on May 14th will not be forgotten."
