STEM School security guard to serve community service, diversion program for accidentally shooting two students
In a tweet on Friday morning, 4th Judicial District Attorney Dan May said the STEM School Security Guard, Shamson Sundara, will enter an adult diversion program and complete 50 hours of community service for shooting two students in the midst of the school shooting on May 7, 2019.
Sundara was a private security guard hired by the STEM school and wasn't supposed to have a firearm.
May said on Friday, "it was illegal for him to have a gun on the property, but in terms of use of the gun, we did find it met the standards of a self-defense."
The security guard fired at Douglas County deputies who were entering the school to find the shooters.
In a series of tweets from the DA's office, May says the guard's shots hit two students.
Sundara is credited with detaining and disarming one of the alleged shooters in the school hallway.
May says, "Part of that agreement will incorporate a restorative justice forum with the victims which will be mediated by the 4th Judicial District Attorney’s Office. It should be noted that this agreement was reached in consultation with the injured victims and their families, law enforcement, and the Douglas County School District."
On Friday, May explained the program will allow, "victims of the act can have a chance to meet with the person or the suspect in order to resolve issues. We have a mediator there, that was one we thought was apppropriate in this situation."
According to our partners at 9News, four families including Kendrick Castillo's family, the student who died after being shot, have filed a lawsuit against the STEM School Douglas County School District. The lawsuit claims that the district "failed to exercise reasonable care to protect Kendrick Castillo and all students, faculty and staff from harm."
The case was handed over to the 4th Judicial District after the shooting by the 18th Judicial District Attorney -- the district responsible for trying the two shooters in the case.
"There's a reason that there asking for a special prosecutor to take it. They're important cases so you want to be careful with how you handle it," May said.
