The household of the East Excessive scholar fatally shot exterior the varsity earlier this yr is accusing Denver Public Colleges, district leaders and the town of negligence in failing to guard college students — together with by eradicating armed police from the varsity.
An legal professional representing the household of Luis Garcia made the allegations in a authorized discover previous a wrongful-death lawsuit that was launched by DPS on Friday, three months after the taking pictures, which stays unsolved by the Denver Police Division.
Within the four-page doc, the household’s legal professional accused DPS of negligence based mostly on an absence of safety, not offering sufficient scholar parking and the “willful and wanton elimination” of Denver Police Division faculty useful resource officers from East.
Garcia, 16, was shot whereas sitting in his automotive exterior of Denver’s largest highschool on Feb. 13 and died greater than two weeks later, on March 1.
The legal professional representing Garcia’s household couldn’t be reached for remark Friday.
A spokesman for DPS declined to debate the matter, saying the district “doesn’t touch upon potential lawsuits.”
Garcia was shot in his head whereas making an attempt to go away the highschool on Feb. 13.
The taking pictures was considered one of two that occurred at East inside six weeks of one another. The second passed off in late March when a scholar shot two directors.
Since each shootings, DPS has come below scrutiny for its safety and self-discipline insurance policies. In March, the varsity board voted to briefly put armed police again in excessive faculties and directed Superintendent Alex Marrero to draft a security plan that’s anticipated to be launched subsequent month.
In 2020, the board voted to take away the Denver Police Division’s useful resource officers following the protests over the homicide of George Floyd, an unarmed Black man killed by a white police officer in Minneapolis.
Garcia was a junior at East and performed on the varsity soccer group. His household described him as an “extraordinarily laborious employee,” who earned good grades and labored a number of jobs.
Denver police stated after the taking pictures that that they had two DPS college students in custody. The scholars, who weren’t recognized as a result of they’re juveniles, didn’t attend East.
Neither was arrested on expenses particularly associated to the taking pictures. A 16-year-old has since been charged with one rely of motorcar theft, one rely of vehicular eluding and one rely of possession of a housebreaking software. A 17-year-old was charged with one rely of handgun possession by a juvenile, in accordance with Carolyn Tyler, a spokeswoman for the Denver District Legal professional’s Workplace.
Denver police stated Friday that the 2 teenagers haven’t been arrested or charged within the dying of Garcia. The investigation stays “energetic and there’s not an arrest to report right now,” the division stated.
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