Family files wrongful death suit in 2017 New Mexico high school shooting

The family of a teenage New Mexico girl killed in a 2017 high school shooting has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the school district and local police.

The Farmington Daily Times reports that the lawsuit contends that the Dec. 7, 2017, death of Casey Jordan Marquez at Aztec High School in Aztec, N.M., resulted from negligent acts of district officials and law enforcement.

Marquez and Francisco "Paco" Fernandez, both 17, were killed in the attack. The shooter, William Atchison, a former Aztec High student, subsequently shot himself to death.

The suit argues that police and the school system had information about Atchison that was actionable, but they chose to not do anything.

For instance, the suit alleges, authorities failed to carry out recommendations from a 2013 campus security assessment, and the district did not report the shooter's suspension in 2012 for "memorializing" the Columbine High School shooters on a classroom whiteboard.

The family also contends that the Aztec district created a dangerous environment on the Aztec High campus that led to the student's death.