Afternoon Briefing: Cook County judge dismisses city’s lawsuit against Gary gun shop

Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune

Romeoville police officers block the north entrance along Taylor and Budler Roads as they search for a suspect who is believed to have shot a police officer on May 25, 2023.

Jenna Watson/AP

Dr. Caitlin Bernard, a reproductive health care provider, speaks during an abortion rights rally on June 25, 2022, at the Indiana Statehouse in Indianapolis. An Indiana board is set to hear allegations on May 25, 2023, that Bernard, an Indianapolis doctor, should face disciplinary action after she spoke publicly about providing an abortion to a 10-year-old rape victim from neighboring Ohio.

Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune

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Romeoville police officers block the north entrance along Taylor and Budler Roads as they search for a suspect who is believed to have shot a police officer on May 25, 2023.

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By Chicago Tribune

PUBLISHED: May 25, 2023 at 2:42 PM CDT | UPDATED: May 25, 2023 at 6:42 PM CDT

Good afternoon, Chicago.

A Cook County judge dismissed a lawsuit filed by the city against a northwest Indiana gun shop in a brief hearing today.

The city filed the lawsuit against Westforth Sports, located in Gary, in April 2021, alleging the shop repeatedly violated federal gun laws, often resulting in criminal charges against straw purchasers. The city further alleged that the shop’s owner, Earl Westforth, ignored warnings from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives about suspicious purchases at the store.

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