[WI] After Deputy Tyler Peterson killed his girlfriend and 5 others, judge threw out family's lawsuit, but they'll appeal

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CRANDON POLICE OFFICER/ FOREST COUNTY DEPUTY TYLER PETERSON SHOT HIMSELF THREE TIMES? EXPERT IN VIDEO SAYS "HIGHLY UNLIKELY." MISSING SHELLS AT THE SCENE? PRIOR SEXUAL ASSAULT AND DOMESTIC VIOLENCE? COVERUP? JUST HOW UNQUALIFED TO BE A LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER WAS PETERSON? IT WOULD TAKE A LAWSUIT TO FORCE THE ANSWERS OUT INTO THE OPEN.

The parties accused Crandon and Forest County of negligence in the hiring and supervision of [Officer / Deputy] Tyler Peterson, who was an officer for both departments... Their attorneys are trying to prove that the Forest County Sheriff's Department hired Peterson without having him take any psychological tests. They also claim both city and county leaders ignored warning signs, including allegations of domestic abuse with a former girlfriend... In a 10-page ruling issued April 6, Oneida County Judge Mark A. Mangerson ruled the hiring and supervision of Tyler Peterson were discretionary acts for which the two law enforcement agencies are afforded immunity... The judge ruled that no test guarantees mental health of officers. Peterson was off duty when he opened fire, murdering his ex-girlfriend and 5 others before killing himself... “Allowing these claims to proceed would place too high a burden on law enforcement agencies.” [Oneida County Judge Mark A. Mangerson] wrote...

Previous entries:

• [WI] Today Deputy Tyler Peterson killed ex girlfriend Jordanne Murray & 5 others
• [WI] An entire community of broken hearts
• [WI] "Experts look at a young officer’s murderous rampage"
• [WI] Lone survivor of Deputy Peterson's deadly dv rampage
• [WI] Report on Deputy Peterson killing ex-girlfriend, 5 others, and self - incomplete
• [WI] Deputy Peterson's lack of a history of violence contested
• [WI] House where Deputy Peterson shot his ex & 5 of her friends is torn down
• [WI] 4 more families file suit over Deputy Peterson's dv slaughter 
• [WI] After Deputy Peterson tragedy Wisconsin takes action
• [WI] LAWSUIT: Deputy/Officer Peterson who killed ex girlfriend, her friends, & self had mental condition & raped girl before being hired

NEWS - March 16 - April 9:

FAMILIES OF CRANDON SHOOTING VICTIMS SUE FOREST COUNTY AND CITY OF CRANDON
WSAW
Amy Pflugshaupt apflugshaupt@wsaw.com
Mar 16, 2010
[Excerpts] The families of the Crandon shooting victims are suing Forest County and the city of Crandon. They're asking for money and a change in the way prospective law enforcement officers are screened before being hired. In 2007, Tyler Peterson shot and killed 6 people and wounded a seventh at a house party, before taking his life. Peterson was a Forest County deputy and a Crandon Police officer. Now, the lone survivor, Charlie Neitzel and the victims' families are looking for justice. Their attorneys are trying to prove that the Forest County Sheriff's Department hired Peterson without having him take any psychological tests. They also claim both city and county leaders ignored warning signs, including allegations of domestic abuse with a former girlfriend. They believe if Peterson had a mental evaluation, the sheriff's department would have discovered what they call a "narcissistic personality." Families claim the combination of his mental health, ego, and county-issued gun, which became the murder weapon, proved to be lethal. "During the party, when he was being obnoxious, they said 'we are going to call the cops' and he said, 'I am the cops," says Jim Olson, the attorney for the victims' families. The defense, however, says Peterson passed all *required* screenings. That included an examination by a Wisconsin licensed doctor, an interview with a civilian board, and he did not have a felony record... [Full article here]

Jordanne Murray

Lindsey Stahl

JUDGE TOSSES PETERSON VICTIMS' SUIT AGAINST CRANDON, FOREST CO.
WTAQ
Wednesday April 7, 2010
[Excerpts] A judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed against the city of Crandon and Forest County by the survivor and families of 4 victims of a 2007 mass shooting. The parties accused Crandon and Forest County of negligence in the hiring and supervision of Tyler Peterson, who was an officer for both departments. The judge ruled that no test guarantees mental health of officers. Peterson was off duty when he opened fire, murdering his ex-girlfriend and 5 others before killing himself... In his ruling, [Oneida County judge Mark] Mangerson wrote that requiring all hires to be guaranteed free of any psychological problem “would create a physical impossibility, as there is simply no test that can guarantee the mental health of law enforcement officers.” [Full article here]

Katrina McCorkle

Aaron Smith

CRANDON SHOOTING LAWSUIT DISMISSED
Rhinelander Daily News
By Daily News Staff
April 7, 2010
[Excerpts] The wrongful death lawsuit filed by the families of several Crandon young people killed by off-duty police officer Tyler Peterson Oct. 7, 2007 has been dismissed by Oneida County Judge Mark A. Mangerson. Mangerson signed a 10-page order dismissing the case April 1 but online court records indicate the decision was not filed until April 6. The defendants, Forest County and the city of Crandon, asked Mangerson last month to dismiss the lawsuit. A motion hearing was held March 16... The plaintiffs had asked that a jury be allowed to decide whether Forest County and the city of Crandon violated a “ministerial duty” under the state’s administrative code that establishes the standards for hiring police officers, to ensure Peterson was “free from any physical, emotional, or mental condition” that might adversely affect his performance of duties as a law enforcement officer... In the early morning hours of Oct. 7, 2007, Peterson, 20, showed up at the Crandon home of his estranged girlfriend, Jordanne Murray. She was hosting a post-Homecoming party and had several friends... The two argued and Murray asked Peterson to leave. He left, but later returned with an assault rifle and started shooting. Bradley Schultz, 20, Lindsey Stahl, 14, Lianna Thomas, 17, Katrina McCorkle 18, and Aaron Smith, 20, died with Murray, 18. A seventh victim, Charlie Neitzel, 23, survived the attack by pretending to be dead... Neitzel was also a plaintiff, while the Smith and Murray families did not participate in the lawsuit. The plaintiffs claimed Peterson suffered from Narcissistic Personality Disorder, a condition they argued probably would have been discovered had he been examined by a mental health professional prior to being hired as a police officer. Attorney James A. Olson argued in court that there was negligence in Peterson’s hiring as an officer because no determination of his mental condition had been done beforehand... “Allowing these claims to proceed would place too high a burden on law enforcement agencies.” [Oneida County Judge Mark A. Mangerson] wrote. “It would, in essence, require agencies to absolutely guarantee the mental health of all officers hired, as opposed to merely following the hiring guidelines already imposed by the legislature and the LESB (Law Enforcement Standards Board). Such a requirement would not only place a high economic burden on law enforcement agencies, but would create a physical impossibility, as there is simply no test that can guarantee the mental health of law enforcement officers.” [Full article here]

Lianna Thomas

Bradley Schultz

CRANDON FAMILIES TO APPEAL RULING IN SHOOTING CASE
The Rhinelander Daily News
By Heather Schaefer, Regional Editor
Friday, April 9, 2010 8:24 AM CDT
[Excerpts] Attorneys for the families of several Crandon young people killed by off-duty police officer Tyler Peterson Oct. 7, 2007 will appeal a circuit court judge’s decision to dismiss their wrongful death lawsuit against Forest County and the city of Crandon. Lawton & Cates S.C., the Madison-based law firm representing the families of Bradley Schultz, Lianna Thomas, Katrina McCorkle and Lindsey Stahl as well as shooting survivor Charlie Neitzel, has issued a statement confirming it will appeal the judge’s decision. “As a result of this decision, the families of six slain innocent young adults and one seriously injured sole survivor have been denied their day in court,” the statement reads. “This decision allows the city of Crandon and Forest County to dodge any liability for hiring a mentally unstable officer.” In the statement, plaintiffs’ attorneys argue the court “allowed the defendants to hide behind a technical legal defense... Plaintiffs will seek their day in court and a return to the law that holds government liable for the wrongful acts of their employees,” the statements adds... In the early morning hours of Oct. 7, 2007, Peterson, 20, showed up at the Crandon home of his estranged girlfriend, Jordanne Murray. She was hosting a post-Homecoming party and had several friends over for the evening. The two argued and Murray asked Peterson to leave. He left, but later returned with an assault rifle and started shooting. Schultz, 20, Stahl, 14, Thomas, 17, McCorkle 18, and Aaron Smith, 20, died with Murray, 18. Neitzel, 23, survived the attack by pretending to be dead. Following a manhunt, Peterson shot himself later that day in a wooded area in the town of Argonne. The Smith and Murray families did not participate in the lawsuit... [Full article here]

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