
A drill that was designed to prepare students and teachers for the possibility of a shooter attack instilled so much fear in children that the state of Michigan is now paying out $13 million in damages.
At a glance:
- A $13 million settlement was approved in response to a lawsuit over an unannounced active shooter drill at Michigan’s Hawthorn Center, a psychiatric hospital for children.
- The drill, conducted on December 21, 2022, caused panic, with children and staff scrambling for safety and calling 911, believing there was an actual attack.
- The settlement will compensate affected children, staff, and others, with 50 children receiving roughly $60,000 each.
A Michigan judge has approved a $13 million settlement in a lawsuit stemming from a terrifying unannounced active shooter drill at the Hawthorn Center, a state-run psychiatric hospital for children in suburban Detroit. The drill, conducted on December 21, 2022, led to widespread panic among children and staff who believed a real shooting was taking place.
The chaos began when someone at the front desk broadcasted over the hospital’s speaker system that two armed men had entered the building and shots had been fired. Unaware that it was only a drill, staff and children scrambled for cover, hiding under desks, barricading doors, and frantically contacting family members and 911.
“It was horrifying,” attorney Robin Wagner, representing the plaintiffs, said. “People were hiding under their desks, trying to figure out how to protect the children.” The situation became even more chaotic when police officers, unaware that the drill was staged, responded to the emergency calls in full tactical gear, expecting a real active shooter scenario.
Fifty children who were patients at the facility will each receive approximately $60,000, while 90 staff members will receive more than $50,000, depending on their trauma exam scores. An additional two dozen people will receive smaller compensation amounts. In total, over $3 million from the settlement will go to attorneys involved in the case.
The drill was organized by the Hawthorn Center’s safety director, who is still employed by the state. The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) acknowledged the severe emotional toll the drill had on patients, staff, and the community. “We regret that our patients, staff, and community were negatively affected by the unfortunate incident,” said MDHHS spokesperson Lynn Sutfin.
The Hawthorn Center has since been closed for unrelated reasons.
Just…wow.