KC bus driver sues gun dealer over illegal firearm that was used to shoot her
A Kansas City woman who was shot while driving a city bus in 2020 filed a lawsuit this week against a Jackson County gun seller, alleging the business played a role in supplying the gun used in the shooting.
DeBorah Luster filed the suit in Jackson County Circuit Court against CR Sales Firearms LLC on Tuesday. The suit claims the firearms dealer negligently sold guns to James Samuels, a former Kansas City Fire Department Captain who was sentenced to six years in prison in 2021 for trafficking dozens of guns.
While the suit does not name Samuels as a defendant, it claims CR Sales Firearms transferred at least 14 guns to him from 2015-2016.
One of those weapons, a pistol, according to the suit, was used to shoot Luster on July 2, 2020, as she drove a KCATA bus near Independence and Hardesty Avenues.
Years later, Luster still has a bullet lodged in her chest, according to her petition for damages.
The suit says she has suffered ongoing physical pain, emotional trauma, and loss of wages.
“CR Sales failed to prevent straw purchases and straw transfers, allowed the diversion of cheap pistols to transferees like Samuels, who CR Sales knew, or consciously avoided knowing, would supply those pistols to persons prohibited from possessing firearms and to persons who were likely to use those firearms for illegal purposes,” the lawsuit reads.
Another lawsuit against the gun seller
In 2023, Kansas City reached a $150,000 settlement with CR Sales Firearms in a lawsuit that claimed the gun seller ignored evidence that guns were being sold illegally.
The suit alleged that a group of firearm businesses formed a trafficking ring led by Samuels, which provided guns to known felons.
According to the lawsuit, three local gun stores aided the scheme: CR Sales Firearms, Conceal & Carry and Mission Ready Gunworks.
As part of the suit’s settlement, CR Sales Firearms was required to implement training to prevent straw purchasing and participate in a monitoring program.
Seeking damages after being shot
CR Sales Firearms denied the lawsuit’s allegations and made no admission of liability. At the time, an attorney for the store declined to comment.
Records from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives showed Conceal & Carry and Mission Ready Gunworks no longer had active federal firearms licenses in 2023.
According to a Facebook post from October 2024, CR Sales Firearms had also closed up shop. Its federal firearms license is no longer active, according to ATF records.
In the civil suit filed this week, Luster is seeking damages exceeding $25,000 and requests a jury trial. A case management conference is set for 1 p.m. Oct. 27 in Division 13 of Jackson County Circuit Court.
Katie Moore, Luke Nozicka and Glenn E. Rice contributed.
