VA - Chesapeake multiple people shot at Walmart, Nov 2022

I have an off-the-wall question. Since he killed people, and he blamed his parents for ignoring the signs of his social deficits... can they be held responsible for the deaths since he is now dead and he cannot be held responsible?

Even though their son was not a minor, they could be named in a civil suit, but whether they’d ultimately be found liable would depend on multiple factors: knowledge of illness, knowledge of threats, access to weapons, etc. Again, this is civil - not criminal.

You might look into Cosmo DiNardo’s parents, Phila Court of Common Pleas. There, the allegation is that the parents knew of his illness and failed to secure access to their firearms. The son was around age 24 at the time of the murders IIRC. (The mother did then seek indemnity from the son’s MDs; that suit was denied).
 
Even though their son was not a minor, they could be named in a civil suit, but whether they’d ultimately be found liable would depend on multiple factors: knowledge of illness, knowledge of threats, access to weapons, etc. Again, this is civil - not criminal.

You might look into Cosmo DiNardo’s parents, Phila Court of Common Pleas. There, the allegation is that the parents knew of his illness and failed to secure access to their firearms. The son was around age 24 at the time of the murders IIRC. (The mother did then seek indemnity from the son’s MDs; that suit was denied).

Keep in mind that parents knowing about an illness and not securing firearms is likely not sufficient. That's partly my opinion and partly my experience as a physician who routinely is required to ask everyone if they have firearms in the home and if so, if they have safe knowledge of how to use them. It's knowledge of violence or threats that makes the difference, in my experience at least as a physician. The law may be different when it comes to first-degree relatives; I don't know. Plus, do we know that Bing used his parents firearm? I'm not aware of that. Or did he live with them?

The reason that simply being mentally ill (if Bing was) wouldn't mean the parents (if they're the same as doctors under the law) did anything wrong is that most mentally ill people do not commit violent crimes. You mention the DiNardo case as an analogy, but I don't think this is analogous, at least not until we know more about Bing and his history before this. For one, we don't know that Bing was ever violent before. We don't know if he had a diagnosable mental illness or a traumatic brain injury or if he had antisocial personality disorder which is more criminal.

I think we just don't know enough to know if parents could be held responsible in civil court (this part is MOO).
 
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Keep in mind that parents knowing about an illness and not securing firearms is likely not sufficient. That's partly my opinion and partly my experience as a physician who routinely is required to ask everyone if they have firearms in the home and if so, if they have safe knowledge of how to use them. It's knowledge of violence or threats that makes the difference, in my experience at least as a physician. The law may be different when it comes to first-degree relatives; I don't know. Plus, do we know that Bing used his parents firearm? I'm not aware of that. Or did he live with them?

The reason that simply being mentally ill (if Bing was) wouldn't mean the parents (if they're the same as doctors under the law) did anything wrong is that most mentally ill people do not commit violent crimes. You mention the DiNardo case as an analogy, but I don't think this is analogous, at least not until we know more about Bing and his history before this. For one, we don't know that Bing was ever violent before. We don't know if he had a diagnosable mental illness or a traumatic brain injury or if he had antisocial personality disorder which is more criminal.

I think we just don't know enough to know if parents could be held responsible in civil court (this part is MOO).
We know that he purchased the firearm hours before the shooting so it was not his parents.

The gunman in the deadly shooting at a Walmart in Chesapeake, Virginia, bought the gun he used in the rampage legally hours before he opened fire on his co-workers, city officials said Friday.

 
Keep in mind that parents knowing about an illness and not securing firearms is likely not sufficient. That's partly my opinion and partly my experience as a physician who routinely is required to ask everyone if they have firearms in the home and if so, if they have safe knowledge of how to use them. It's knowledge of violence or threats that makes the difference, in my experience at least as a physician. The law may be different when it comes to first-degree relatives; I don't know. Plus, do we know that Bing used his parents firearm? I'm not aware of that. Or did he live with them?

The reason that simply being mentally ill (if Bing was) wouldn't mean the parents (if they're the same as doctors under the law) did anything wrong is that most mentally ill people do not commit violent crimes. You mention the DiNardo case as an analogy, but I don't think this is analogous, at least not until we know more about Bing and his history before this. For one, we don't know that Bing was ever violent before. We don't know if he had a diagnosable mental illness or a traumatic brain injury or if he had antisocial personality disorder which is more criminal.

I think we just don't know enough to know if parents could be held responsible in civil court (this part is MOO).

Absolutely. It’s a bit different for professionals due to Tarasoff issues, and usually a long-shot for parents of adult children.
 
Absolutely. It’s a bit different for professionals due to Tarasoff issues, and usually a long-shot for parents of adult children.

Tarasoff is actually very specific and doesn't apply to what I said above. It's a different law. But you're right that Tarasoff is an additional burden on professionals.
 
Breaking news:

An employee who survived the mass shooting at a Walmart in Chesapeake last week has filed a $50 million lawsuit against the company.

The lawsuit, filed by Donya Prioleau, claims she submitted a complaint about the gunman two months prior to the shooting that took the lives of six Walmart employees.

ETA - so it looks like there had been complaints against him/his behavior.

 
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Breaking news:

An employee who survived the mass shooting at a Walmart in Chesapeake last week has filed a $50 million lawsuit against the company.

The lawsuit, filed by Donya Prioleau, claims she submitted a complaint about the gunman two months prior to the shooting that took the lives of six Walmart employees.

ETA - so it looks like there had been complaints against him/his behavior.

I wonder if she was the only one to take such action ?
Even if so .... the higher ups should have taken her seriously.

We'll prob. never know for sure , but it wouldn't surprise me if the murderer became more unhinged in recent months/weeks ; and coworkers were becoming fearful of him ?
And , imo, HE may have been the one to bully others !
This all makes me so angry and so sorry for the precious lives lost, innocent people stolen forever from their loved ones by this killer's 'grievances'.
:mad:
M00.
 
CHESAPEAKE, Va. — The Wednesday morning reopening of the Chesapeake Walmart, where a store manager gunned down six of his employees before turning the gun on himself in November, can be an emotionally triggering moment.

“That anxiety. That heart racing. That second guessing – should I even go to Walmart? Those responses are definitely normal,” said Hampton-based clinical psychologist Dr. Kristie Norwood. “Anytime we have a stressful experience, even if we’re just constantly hearing about those experiences that were lived by other people, it can impact us.”

“[When you] avoid places that are reminders of the trauma [it essentially] shrinks [your] life,” said Dr. Norwood, who stressed seeking professional mental health help when healthy boundaries become obsessions.

“The challenge is when we stay there… where we say I’m no longer going to any grocery store every again. I’m no longer going to any movie theater. It’s never safe for me to be around any human being because something traumatic may happen,” said Dr. Norwood. “ said. “Over time, it can kind of feel like you’re in a prison because you’re limited to certain spaces.”
 

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