Family suing Long Beach liquor store that sold to underage driver in crash that killed family of 3

Long Beach family killed by alleged DUI driver

Days after an entire family died because of a suspected DUI driver on Halloween. Long Beach residents remain in shock and in mourning. Memorials have sprung up throughout the city and a vigil is planned for Tuesday night.

LONG BEACH, Calif. - A lawsuit has been filed against the owners of a Long Beach liquor store in connection with the deaths of a family of three killed by a hit-and-run driver on Halloween 2019.

In a statement, law firm Samer Habbas & Associates, PC announced the lawsuit against Green Diamond Liquor, where the suspect, then 20-year-old Carlo Navarro, illegally purchased a bottle of whiskey that would later set off a deadly chain of events.

"On the night of the tragedy, a clerk named Amor Amacio at Green Diamond Liquor sold a bottle of Jack Daniels Whiskey to Navarro despite knowing that he was not 21 years of age. After leaving the liquor store, Navarro got behind the wheel and proceeded to strike eand kill the family of three," Habbas said in a statement.

Joseph Awaida died that night. The couple's son died Nov. 2, and his mother died the following day.

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"What happened was a tragedy that should have never taken place. There were failures and lapses in judgment at every level that could have prevented this deadly collision. We intend to do everything in our power to get justice for the family and hold the responsible parties accountable for their actions," he added.

In July, Navarro was convicted of three counts each of murder and gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated. He will be sentenced in September.