Shot student’s lawyer hopes for change from BPS lawsuit
A new lawyer for the student shot by ex-Boston Public Schools dean Shaun “Rev” Harrison said Wednesday he hopes the lawsuit filed against the city helps result in a “safe and nurturing environment” at BPS schools.
After a brief federal court hearing during which attorney John Martin asked for more time to complete discovery and depositions before the trial, the lawyer spoke to the Herald about the significance of the case.
Former student Luis Angel Rodriguez is bringing a federal lawsuit against BPS after then-English High School dean Harrison shot him in the head in 2015. Harrison was convicted of shooting Rodriguez over a drug debt.
“This is a very, very important case,” Martin said. “A lot of these kids living in inner cities have a lot of challenges and have very difficult lives. One place they should be able to feel safe from violence and drugs is at school.
“It should be the city’s highest priority to provide a safe and nurturing environment for kids, and we hope this lawsuit helps achieve that,” he said.
Rodriguez sued BPS and Harrison in federal court last January for BPS’ failure to monitor, control or discipline Harrison, after BPS was allegedly aware of Harrison’s assault of a student before he was promoted.
The former dean is also a Latin Kings member and is currently facing federal racketeering charges with over 60 other gang members in a separate federal criminal case.
Martin said they’re looking to prove that the “school should have known the employee provided a danger to the students and showed deliberate indifference of the danger to the students.”
A spokesman for BPS on Wednesday wrote in an email about the case, “The Boston Public Schools has no comment due to pending litigation.”
Harrison, between January and March 2015, solicited Rodriguez to sell drugs at English, ordered another student to assault Rodriguez and later shot Rodriguez as the two were walking outdoors in March. A Suffolk Superior Court jury sentenced him to 26 years in prison in 2018.