HSPRD Sues Mercy Hospital For the Senseless Shooting Death of Dayna Less

HSPRD has filed a wrongful death lawsuit on behalf of the family of Dayna Less, who was killed in a mass shooting last year at Mercy Hospital. On November 19, 2018, Juan Lopez shot and killed his former fiancée, Dr. Tamara O’Neal, in the parking lot of the hospital, and then re-entered the hospital, where he fatally shot Dayna Less and Chicago Police Officer Samuel Jimenez.

The suit contends that Mercy Hospital and SDI Security, the contractor it hired to provide additional security, did not follow their own protocols, failed to act in response to the active shooter situation, and by failing to prepare for and respond to the active shooter emergency caused the untimely and unnecessary death of Dayna Less.

Matt Piers explained: “Mercy and SDI literally watched this armed and dangerous man hunt down and kill Dr. O’Neal, then shoot at the police when they arrived, and then stop and reload his weapon. Yet they did nothing. Amazingly, they continued to do nothing as Lopez walked back into the still unlocked hospital building. And even then, watching all that time, they did not implement an active shooter alert – a so-called ’Code Silver’— until after Lopez shot Dayna multiple times. By then, it was far too late.”

Attorney Mark Dym noted: “Dayna left behind her grieving parents – Brian and Teena Less – who continue to suffer the indescribable pain of this loss every day. Their suffering and loss are compounded by their knowledge of the reckless conduct of the defendants and how easily they could have prevented the murder of Dayna.”

The suit filed in the Circuit Court of Cook County Law Division, charges Mercy, Trinity, and SDI Security with negligence and wrongful death and the estate of gunman Juan Lopez with intentional wrongful death and battery and asks for compensation for Dayna’s estate and family.

Read full complaint.

News coverage:
Chicago Sun Times article
Chicago Tribune article
WTTW news article
ABC 7 Chicago news report
NBC 5 Chicago news report
The Times of Northwest Indiana article
Australian Journal of Pharmacy article
Listen to WBBM Newsradio report

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