LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — A new lawsuit filed against the Clark County School District and school police claims officers used excessive force when responding to a shooting near Western High School last year.
On March 29, 2022, Lt. Bryan Zink told Channel 13 officers responded to calls of a fight and weapon just as school ended.
He added officers saw a car speeding through the east parking lot at the school and tried to stop it.
An officer shot at the car when it drove at officers, and Zink said police believed juveniles in the vehicle were likely hit by the officer's gunfire. At the time, CCSDPD told Channel 13 the kids were taken to area hospitals for non-life-threatening injuries.
According to the complaint filed last week, Mi'Chayla Atkinson was one of the people in the car.
Atkinson's lawyers claim she broke up the fight and got into her friend's black Ford Fusion.
While the vehicle was making a U-turn in the parking lot, Officer Christopher Knight pointed his service weapon at the vehicle, causing the driver to hit another student with the car in their efforts to avoid being shot, the complaint states.
Lawyers claim Knight then shot into the vehicle, hitting Atkinson in her left shoulder and back, which caused severe injuries. Her lawyers claim she was unable to return to work due to those injuries.
Atkinson's legal team argues the district didn't provide a safe campus, failed to enforce security and safety measures, and that officers used more force than what was necessary to stop an ongoing threat.
They're suing for at least $50,000 in damages in addition to medical bills, lost wages, and attorneys fees.
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