las vegas mass shooting

Orange County father of Las Vegas mass shooting victim files wrongful death lawsuit

Saturday, October 21, 2017

SoCal father of Las Vegas attack victim files wrongful death lawsuit

The father of a Huntington Beach woman killed in the Las Vegas shooting massacre filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the operators of the Mandalay Bay, Live Nation and the manufacturer of bump stocks.

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- The father of a Huntington Beach woman killed in the Las Vegas shooting massacre has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the operators of the Mandalay Bay Casino and Resort, Live Nation and the manufacturer of bump stocks.

Andrea Castilla, 28, was one of the 58 people killed at the Route 91 Harvest Festival, when a gunman opened fire from the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay.

"I just kept looking at her and kissing her and holding her hand and praying that she was going to make it," said Athena Castilla, Andrea's sister.

She was at the concert with Andrea and recalls holding her bleeding head, trying to get to a hospital. Andrea was at the concert, celebrating her birthday with her boyfriend, sister and a friend, when terror struck.

"I miss being with her and we just had so many other memories and plans to have ahead of us," Athena said.

Andrea's father, Gus, has filed a wrongful death lawsuit with the Los Angeles Superior Court. The suit claims MGM Resorts International, Live Nation and bump stock manufacturer Slide Fire are all responsible for Andrea's death.

It alleges security at the hotel did not respond quickly enough to the shooter's room. It also claims the hotel breached their duty of reasonable care by failing to maintain the premises in a reasonably safe condition.

Attorney for the family, Richard Bridgford, said poor security at the concert venue created a "killing zone."

The lawsuit also names Slide Fire, a company that designs and manufactures "bump stocks," which allow semi-automatic weapons to mimic automatic weapons. The shooter had several bump stocks on his arsenal of weapons in the room.

"It's inconceivable to me that the casino and the providers of the concert were unaware of the foreseeable harm that could occur," Bridgford said.

A spokesperson for MGM Resorts International sent Eyewitness News the following statement.

"The tragic incident that took place on October 1st was a meticulously planned, evil senseless act. As our company and city work through the healing process, our primary focus and concern is taking actions to support the victims and their families, our guests and employees and cooperating with law enforcement.

"We are grateful for all who came to the victims' aid that evening, including our employees, first responders, the police and citizens who acted in countless ways to assist. Out of respect for the victims we are not going to try this case in the public domain and we will give our response through the appropriate legal channels."

Live Nation also issued a statement.

"We continue to be devastated by the tragedy at the Route 91 Festival, heartbroken for the victims, their families and the countless people forever impacted by this senseless act of violence and are cooperating fully with the active FBI investigation. We are, however, unable to comment specifically on pending litigation."

Slide Fire did not respond to request for comment.

The lawsuit comes as the family prepares for Andrea's memorial this weekend.

"She had a great heart, very sensitive, irreplaceable," Gus said.

Donations for the Castilla family can be sent to this GoFundMe page: gofundme.com/AndreaCastillaMemorial-LasVegasTragedy.

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