The only survivor of a mass shooting in Crandon in 2007 has lost an appeal in his lawsuit against Forest County. An appeals court on Tuesday agreed with a lower court, which ruled that Charlie Neitzel and families of four other victims could not sue the county over the shooting.
Neitzel has claimed the county was negligent in hiring and supervising sheriff’s deputy Tyler Peterson, arguing that he had a mental condition that predisposed him to violence. The courts have ruled that the county was immune from a lawsuit because its hiring and supervision were discretionary acts.
Peterson shot and killed six people, including his ex-girlfriend, in her Crandon apartment in October 2007 before later killing himself. Neitzel survived by playing dead.
Matt Lehman, WSAU
