North Carolina residents who have followed the aftermath of the shooting at Margery Stoneman Douglas High School might be interested to learn that the father of a teenager killed in that incident has filed a lawsuit against multiple parties. The defendants include the armed resource officer who was on duty in the school at the time but did not enter the building; the estate of the late mother of Nikolas Cruz, the man accused of carrying out the killings; the people with whom Cruz lived leading up to the massacre; and the mental health facilities that treated the man. According to the lawsuit, all of these parties failed to prevent the shooting.
The man’s daughter was among 17 who died on Feb. 14 when Cruz opened fire. The family of another student who was seriously wounded in the shooting and who is in a wheelchair and requires round-the-clock care has also filed a lawsuit.
The father’s lawsuit asks for a jury trial. It does not specify the amount it is asking for in damages, but Cruz is included among the eight defendants. The attorney of the school resource officer said in February that he acted correctly in the circumstances.
When a person dies as a result of an accident, a crime, a faulty product or for some other reason, it might be possible to file a wrongful death lawsuit. This lawsuit may provide adequate compensation to cover medical expenses, funeral expenses and lost income among other costs. If the death happened in the course of a crime’s commission and the person is not found guilty in criminal court, that person could still be held civilly liable since the burden of proof is lower in civil court.
Source: Reuters, “Father of Parkland shooting victim files wrongful death lawsuit“, Brendan O’Brien, April 30, 2018