Suits filed in deadly UPS rampage in SF
(KTVU) San Francisco - The families of two men killed during a workplace shooting rampage at a UPS facility in San Francisco filed wrongful-death lawsuits today against the company and a private security firm.
The lawsuits were filed in San Francisco Superior Court on behalf of Sandy Lim, the widow of Benson Louie, and Danielle Lefiti, the widow of Mike Lefiti.
Sandy Lim spoke to KTVU in her first television interview. She described her son as a loving husband and father of two daughters who loved to play and coach volleyball.
"The hardest thing right now, for me, is to see the girls cry, sometimes periodically, saying that they miss daddy," Lim said through tears. "I think that's the toughest to cope with right now."
The defendants are UPS, security company Allied Universal and property owner Valacal Company.
Another lawsuit was also filed by UPS employees Xiao Chen and Edgar Perez, who were shot and injured in the attack on San Bruno Avenue. Another complaint was filed on behalf of 28 workers who witnessed the deadly incident and are now suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.
"The security lapses that led to the horrific tragedy, and the death and injury of dedicated UPS workers in the course of an ordinary workday, and to dozens of others witnessing the terrifying scene, were entirely preventable,” said plaintiff's attorney Kevin Morrison.
The shooting happened June 14, when UPS employee Jimmy Lam entered the warehouse in the UPS complex in San Francisco's Potrero Hill. He hid a MAC-10 submachine gun and an automatic pistol, as well as a box of bullets as he passed through security.
The lawsuits say that when Lam passed through a security checkpoint staffed by Allied Universal, he set off the metal detector alarm but that security guards did nothing.
Lam then opened fire, fatally shooting Chan and Louie inside the building and injuring several others, according to police. Lefiti was shot and killed outside the building.
The lawsuit accuse the defendants of knowing that security problems existed at the facility, including unauthorized people getting into the building and the presence of guns there.