NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — News 3 is learning new information about what a student is saying they experienced during the Heritage High School shooting in 2021. That student is now suing the Newport School District and former superintendent Dr. George Parker III.
The lawsuit was brought forward by a student saying she has suffered physical injuries, severe emotional disturbance and mental anguish.
The lawsuit comes more than two years after a student opened fire in a hallway at Heritage High School, shooting two students on September 20, 2021.
The student, who is unnamed in the lawsuit, says they weren't shot that day, but suffered physical and mental injuries in the chaos after the shooting.
The student says she was in her Honors English class when shots rang out. These sounds caused students to panic and hide from the shooter. The plaintiff claims she hit her head on the wall and was elbowed by students as they piled on top of each other. The student says the memory of the sound has traumatized her and disables her to this day.
She says the school didn't do enough to prevent the shooting. The lawsuit claims the district knew the shooter had previous convictions for gun violence, yet did not take action to prevent further violence in the school. The lawsuit seeks more than six million dollars in damages.
We've reached out to all parties for comment, and are still waiting for a response.
It's not the only lawsuit in this incident, two teachers also filed suit against the Newport News School Division with similar claims.
