Michigan State University student who saw 2023 mass shooting files suiit against school officials
EAST LANSING, Mich (CBS DETROIT) — A Michigan State University student who witnessed a deadly shooting in 2023 has filed a $50 million lawsuit, alleging that university officials failed to implement security measures that could have prevented the incident from happening.
The federal lawsuit was filed Wednesday on behalf of Jake Bowman, one day before the two-year remembrance of the Feb. 13, 2023 shooting. It names former Interim President Teresa Woodruff, Vice President Marlon Lynch, the Board of Trustees, MSU police, and the MSU Infrastructure and Planning Facilities department and its director, Dan Bollman.
The lawsuit alleges that prior to the shooting, the university disregarded "significant security deficits on campus when it comes to protecting their students." It also alleges that Woodruff and Lynch knew about the security deficits and "chose to leave the buildings and classrooms open to the public despite the safety concerns voiced by staff."
Three students — Brian Fraser, Arielle Anderson and Alexandria Verner — were killed and five others were injured in the shooting.
According to the lawsuit, Bowman was attending a class in Berkey Hall when the shooter walked in and opened fire. It says that Bowman had to pretend to be dead in order to survive and at one point, comforted another student who was fatally wounded.
The lawsuit claims Bowman suffered from multiple health conditions, such as post-traumatic stress disorder and anxiety, as a result of the shooting and needed therapy.
The lawsuit alleges that Bollman and Woodruff used money from the university to fund other projects instead of installing door locks in classrooms. It also alleges that officials allowed non-students and staff to enter on-campus buildings without security and violated the 14th Amendment by removing the option to hold classes virtually and requiring in-person learning.
"A gunman was able to walk around campus and obtain unfettered access to the buildings and classrooms prior to the shootings. No one from Michigan State University stopped or questioned the gunman prior to the tragic events alleged herein. Through its conduct, Michigan State University allowed and gave permission to the gunman to roam the campus freely," read the lawsuit.
It is not the first time the university has faced a lawsuit over the shooting. In December 2023, the university reached a settlement with the families of the three students who were killed. Verner's family announced they intended to sue MSU back in June 2023 over claims of "dangerous and defective" conditions and a lack of security on campus.
In August of that year, the university upgraded its security measures ahead of the school year, requiring students to have their MSU ID cards to enter buildings outside of normal class hours. The board of trustees also voted to ban members of the public with concealed carry licenses from bringing firearms to the campus. The ban was an addition to an existing policy that banned students and employees from carrying guns on campus.
CBS News Detroit contacted MSU for comment, to which a spokesperson responded, "The university does not comment on pending litigation."
The university reopened Berkey Hall nearly one year after the shooting.
