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Mass killings: Families may sue
13/10/2007 22:43 - (SA)
Sue Lindsey
Roanoke ? A lawyer for families of 20 people killed or injured in the mass shootings at Virginia Tech has given notice that lawsuits may be filed against the town where they occurred. Another notice was given to the state of Virginia.
Blacksburg town attorney Larry Spencer said he had received notices from Peter Grenier, a personal injury lawyer in Washington DC, of possible lawsuits claiming negligence by the town and its employees.
The state attorney-general's office said it had received notice from Grenier's law firm of one possible lawsuit, on behalf of one injured student. A spokesperson, Tucker Martin, said he had not seen the notice and could not say whether it was of a possible lawsuit against Virginia Tech or the state itself.
No lawsuits have been filed yet stemming from the April 16 shootings on the university's Blacksburg campus, where mentally disturbed student Seung-Hui Cho killed two people in a dormitory and 30 in a classroom building before taking his own life.
The notices do not necessarily mean lawsuits will be filed, but such notification is needed by Tuesday, six months after the shootings, if lawsuits against a locality are to be filed in state court. A notice of a claim against Virginia Tech or the state must be filed within a year.
Police blamed
More than two hours elapsed between the dormitory slayings and Cho's rampage at Norris Hall, and police initially thought the first shootings were an act of domestic violence.
Grenier's notices to the town alleged that Blacksburg police, who were among officers who responded, "failed to conduct a reasonably thorough and professionally appropriate investigation."
Grenier also contended that town officials failed to take steps to protect Virginia Tech students.
University students and employees were not notified of the first shootings for more than two hours, and Grenier said the e-mail notice sent by school officials "was inaccurate and incomplete" and "was unlikely to sufficiently advise students of the serious risks posed to their safety."
Greg Gwaltney, whose son, Matthew Gregory Gwaltney, was killed, said he and the other families represented by Grenier's firm had been advised not to comment regarding the potential lawsuits.
Grenier represents the families of 12 people killed and eight who were injured in the shootings. A phone message seeking comment from Grenier was not immediately returned.
- AP
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