The family of a 16-year-old girl fatally shot in the Bronx while walking home from school by a ghost gun is suing the manufacturer, Polymer80 Inc., for wrongful death. The complaint is the first time in New York State history that a family has leveled wrongful death claims against a ghost gun producer.Polymer80 is among the leading manufacturers of the untraceable and unassembled firearms. Law enforcement, including New York City’s district attorneys, has described the proliferation of ghost guns in the five boroughs as an escalating threat to public safety.
The lawsuit was on March 26, 2028 in Bronx Supreme Court by the surviving family of Angellyh Yambo Henriquez. Defendants are Polymer80 and the gunman Jeremiah Ryan. Plaintiff Yanely Henriquez is the mother of the girl, and the administrator of her estate. Ryan, who was 17-years-old at the time of the shooting, plead guilty to second degree murder charges and was sentenced to 15-years to life.
The suit alleges that Polymer80 intentionally structured their business to circumvent firearm laws by designing, manufacturing, and selling ghost gun kits that can readily be assembled into functional firearms, without background checks. The complaint alleges that Defendant POLYMER80 effectively provided a 17-year-old with a ghost gun, lacking a background check and serial number.
Citing data from law enforcement across the country, the complaint alleges that more than 86% of ghost guns seized in 2019 and entered into the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives contained at least one component manufactured by Polymer80. The lawsuit alleges wrongful death and claims of negligence, negligence per se, strict liability, public nuisance, and violation of New York General Business Laws §349, §350, and §898. Various New York cities, including Syracuse, Rochester and Buffalo, have filed public nuisance suits against the company.
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