9 Years Later, Survivors Of E2 Tragedy Still Seeking Answers
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Every year, relatives of the victims of the E2 disaster gather at the former nightclub to say a prayer and to release 21 balloons in memory of their loved ones.
Friday marked the ninth anniversary. But nearly a decade later, relatives are still searching for answers as to why their loved ones died in a stampede.
For Sheretta Pennington, that reality makes memories of her daughter's death all the more painful. Twenty-two-year-old Nicole Patterson, a young mother, was celebrating a friend's birthday.
"We know people were trampled. My daughter was on the first layer. That means she had hundreds of people on top of her," she says.
A fistfight and the use of pepper spray in the overcrowded club triggered panic with a deadly rush toward the exits. The city blamed the club's owners, Calvin Hollins and Dwayne Kyles, who were sentenced to prison for building violations.
But last year, a court overturned their convictions, leaving victims' families with no one officially held responsible for the deaths.
"It's a loss I will take to the grave," Howard Ray says.
Ray's son, 24-year-old Deshand Ray, was a Columbia College student and aspiring sportscaster. His loss, and accusations of flaws in the emergency response, have fueled Ray's determination to get answers.
"That's why we've been calling for a full scale investigation from day one, to find out what happened," he says.
But with the tragedy mired in lawsuits and counter-suits, there's never been one. And that, says the victims' families, diminishes the lives of their loved ones.
"They were human beings, and they didn't deserve to die like that," Pennington says.
The lawsuits aren't over yet. Attorneys for the owners are suing the city for malicious prosecution. If that suit goes to trial, it could provide more light on what occurred that night.
