Former charter high school student sues over 2018 off-campus shooting

A student who along with a teacher was wounded in 2018 after being hit by gunfire across the street from CHAMPS Charter High School of the Arts in Van Nuys is suing the school for negligence.

Harper Maloney, 18, brought the suit Thursday in Los Angeles Superior Court, seeking unspecified damages. He had gone to lunch off-campus, which was allowed by the school administration before the shooting occurred, the suit states.

“While (Maloney) was returning to campus, he was struck by a bullet fired by a third person and severely injured,” the suit states.

“As a result of the shooting and the failure to protect and serve their students, (Maloney) required emergency care to his physical injuries and suffers emotional distress,” the suit states.

A CHAMPS representative did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

The shooting of Maloney and the teacher was reported about 12:10 p.m, Sept. 20, 2018, near a Jack in the Box in the 6800 block of Van Nuys Boulevard, police said previously.

The school staff “had reason to know of criminal activity and dangerous conditions near/around the premises and they had an obligation to take reasonable security precautions to protect students at or near the CHAMPS campus, the suit states.

Maloney, then a junior, was released to a parent later in the day, according to the LAFD.