Close Menu
Eden Prairie Local News
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
    Tuesday, May 20
    • About
      • About EPLN
      • Team
      • EPLN in the News
      • Policies
    • Contact
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram Threads LinkedIn
    Subscribe
    Eden Prairie Local News
    • Home
    • Schools
    • Business
    • Sports
    • Public Safety
    • City
    • Calendar
    • Subscribe
    • Donate
    • More
      • Construction
      • Outdoors
      • Politics
      • Health
      • Spirituality
      • Community Service
      • Legacy
      • Obituaries
      • Arts
      • Family
      • Holidays
      • Letter to Editor
      • Listen
      • Jobs
    Eden Prairie Local News
    Home»Public Safety»Wrongful death lawsuit filed in 2022 Scheels suicide incident
    Public Safety

    Wrongful death lawsuit filed in 2022 Scheels suicide incident

    Jim BayerBy Jim BayerSeptember 10, 20244 Mins Read
    Obituary photo of Jordan L. Markie, Scheels suicide victim
    Jordan L. Markie

    The mother of a 19-year-old man who died by suicide at the Eden Prairie Scheels store in 2022 has filed a wrongful death lawsuit in Hennepin County District Court against Scheels and the employee who provided the weapon.

    Scheels All Sports Inc. and the employee, William Ballantyne, are named in the suit, filed on behalf of Sarah Van Bogart, the mother of Jordan L. Markie, and seeks damages in excess of $50,000.

    Markie, who lived in Edina, rode his bike to Scheels at Eden Prairie Center on Aug. 22, 2022, where he requested to view a handgun. After a Scheels employee handed him the unloaded gun, Markie ran from the gun department on the store’s second floor and shot himself.

    The incident was originally reported as an active shooter situation and drew dozens of law enforcement officials to the store before it was determined to be a suicide.

    Advertisement
    Ad for Washburn McReavy

    Details of the incident were not fully disclosed until Eden Prairie police released a report in November 2022. The report resulted in no charges being filed, and the case was closed. Police had previously not identified Markie as the suicide victim. Eden Prairie Local News (EPLN) confirmed his identity in late September through a public data request, social media posts, and by contacting family members.

    Lawsuit: Gun provided with no trigger lock

    Markie video - handling gun 8-22-22
    Jordan Markie (in blue checkered shirt) with Scheels employee William Ballantyne moments before Markie fled with a gun he was viewing. The photo is a still image from Scheels security video included in the Eden Prairie police report on the Aug. 22, 2022, incident.

    Ballantyne was a sales clerk in the Scheels firearms department on Aug. 22, 2022. The lawsuit alleges that he handed the Taurus G2C 9 mm handgun to Markie without requesting identification or proof of age, “… despite the fact that he was too young to purchase a handgun, appeared much younger than his age, and well below the legal age of 21.”

    It also alleges that “Ballantyne delivered the handgun to Jordan without a trigger lock or other disabling device, and with a magazine in place. While the magazine was empty, it was ready to receive ammunition, which was easily accessible to customers and openly available in abundance on the shelves in Scheels’ store.”

    Ballantyne is certified as a gun safety instructor by the U.S. Concealed Carry Association, the National Rifle Association, and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, the lawsuit said.

    The lawsuit claims that the actions of the store and its employee were negligent and “contrary to industry custom and practice of responsible firearms dealers,” which resulted in Markie’s ability to take the gun, load it, and kill himself.

    “As stated in the complaint, Jordan would be alive today had the defendants not given him a handgun that he was too young to purchase,” Alla Lefkowitz, Washington, D.C.-based managing director of affirmative litigation at Everytown Law and Van Bogart’s counsel, said in a press release announcing the lawsuit. “It is well documented that putting time and space between a person in crisis and a firearm can reduce suicidal risk and save lives. Instead, Scheels took less than 30 seconds to place an operable gun in Jordan’s hands. This lawsuit seeks to impose accountability on those whose actions led to Jordan’s tragic death.”

    The lawsuit also contends that there have been “numerous incidents” in which individuals have left a Scheels store with a firearm they did not purchase. “Scheels was acutely on notice about the importance of taking great care in the delivery of firearms,” it says.

    Scheels, which has 28 locations in the U.S. according to the company’s website, did not immediately respond to EPLN’s requests for comment.

    Comments
    We offer several ways for our readers to provide feedback. Your comments are welcome on our social media posts (Facebook, X, Instagram, Threads, and LinkedIn). We also encourage Letters to the Editor; submission guidelines can be found on our Contact Us page. If you believe this story has an error or you would like to get in touch with the author, please connect with us.

    Be Informed
    Sign up for the FREE email newsletter from EPLN
    Subscribe
    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
    Previous ArticleA quiet ‘Minnesota nice’ contest for a coveted open congressional seat in a year of ‘bare-knuckled’ politics
    Next Article Highway 101 now open at Purgatory Creek

    More to READ

    2 Mins Read

    Former Eden Prairie man sentenced for posting nude images of woman online without her consent

    May 20, 2025
    3 Mins Read

    Scheels wrongful death lawsuit moves toward 2026 jury trial

    May 19, 2025
    3 Mins Read

    Police detail response to Eden Prairie tournament disturbance

    May 15, 2025
    Subscribe to get EPLN in your inbox for FREE!
    Recent Articles

    EPHS synchronized swim team advances to state meet

    May 20, 2025

    Minnesota legislative session ends, still with a long to-do list

    May 20, 2025

    Former Eden Prairie man sentenced for posting nude images of woman online without her consent

    May 20, 2025

    May bike party undeterred by wind and cold

    May 20, 2025

    Walter Jerome ‘Jerry’ Dustrud

    May 20, 2025
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Instagram
    • LinkedIn
    INN Network Member Guidestar Seal
    Eden Prairie Local News is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization EIN 85-4248265 | Copyright © 2020-2025
    • About
    • Policies
    • Jobs
    • Contact
    • Advertising
    • Subscribe
    • Donate

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.