A lawsuit filed against Michigan State University this month alleges that the Feb. 13, 2023, mass shooting on campus was “entirely preventable” had university leaders taken more steps to secure campus buildings.
Former student Justin Bowman filed the lawsuit seeking $50 million in damages. According to the complaint, Bowman was attending class in room 114 of Berkey Hall when the gunman entered and opened fire.
The lawsuit alleges that former Interim President Teresa Woodruff was aware of security deficiencies but “chose to disregard” the issues.
Woodruff is named as a defendant in the lawsuit, along with the Board of Trustees, the MSU Department of Police and Public Safety, Vice President for Strategic Infrastructure Planning and Facilities Dan Bollman and other university leaders.
Nora Hanna, Bowman’s lawyer, wrote in the complaint that “Michigan State University, through Bollman and Woodruff, made the decision to not install classroom locks and instead spent over $200 million on a new recreation center.” The lawsuit argues that this allowed the shooter unfettered access to campus buildings and classrooms prior to the shooting.
MSU spokesperson Amber McCann said the university does not comment on pending litigation.
An independent report released by the university in October 2023 found police response to the shooting was "appropriate, timely and correct" but did recommend security and operations improvements.
Bowman pretended to be dead while covered with the blood of his classmates, the lawsuit says. Later, he used his shirt as a bandage to try and stop the bleeding from a classmate’s head, though the student would die in his arms.
Hanna wrote in the complaint that Bowman “acted dead through the fear, the shock, the anger, and the emotional trauma of believing that these are the last moments of his young life.”
The lawsuit says that Bowman has suffered post-traumatic stress disorder, conscious pain and suffering, as well as fright, shock and terror.
“The university had a duty to protect its community, and it failed,” Hanna said in a statement. “Our client deserves answers, and he deserves change.”
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