NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The shooting death of 16-year-old Dayana Escalante has led her parents to file a wrongful death lawsuit against Metro Nashville Public Schools. The lawsuit, filed on June 23, seeks $700,000 in damages and accuses school administrators of negligence in addressing the shooter’s well-documented history of violence and threats.
The Antioch High School shooting has reignited conversations about school safety and accountability, with the Escalante family seeking justice for their daughter.
Lawsuit Alleges History of Negligence by School Administrators
The lawsuit claims Antioch High School officials failed to act on warning signs about the shooter. Court records show the 17-year-old gunman had a troubling history of violence, including a documented death threat toward a teacher and an incident where he allegedly threatened another student with a box cutter in the hallway.
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Per school district policy, such behavioral incidents are grounds for expulsion. However, the accused student received just a two-day suspension for the box cutter incident, reports NewsChannel5. The lawsuit argues this lenient disciplinary response enabled the shooter to remain on campus, ultimately creating the conditions for January’s deadly attack.
The shooting occurred in the Antioch High School cafeteria, leaving Dayana Escalante fatally wounded and another student injured. The gunman died at the scene by suicide.
Investigators later discovered a 288-page online diary in which the shooter detailed his plans for the assault. The diary also highlighted his struggles with mental health and his admiration for Adolf Hitler and other infamous mass murderers.
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Lawsuit Points to School Security System Failures
The Escalante family’s wrongful death lawsuit also raises concerns about school security, reports NewsChannel9. It claims the school’s safety measures failed to detect the weapon used in the shooting. Although the district has since implemented advanced weapons detection technology, questions remain about how earlier lapses in security may have contributed to this tragedy.
Metro Nashville Public Schools has not yet released a public response to the lawsuit.
