View this article online: https://www.claimsjournal.com/news/west/2012/05/15/206790.htm
A jury has determined that a mental health center in Denver, Colo., is partly liable for the death of a convenience store clerk who was shot by a patient that had been released by the facility.
The Denver Post reports the jury on Thursday assigned half the liability for 28-year-old Natnael Mulugeta’s death to the Mental Health Center of Denver. Mulugeta’s father also was awarded compensatory damages of $1.1 million and punitive damages of $5.2 million, as well as $23,751 for burial expenses.
Mulugeta, an Ethiopian immigrant, was shot at the south Denver store May 2, 2009. Dale Wayne Baylis was arrested nearby, and the 46-year-old was sentenced to 30 years in prison for second-degree murder.
The center called the death “an unthinkable tragedy” but said the jury’s decision was “unfortunate” and an appeal is being considered.