State Ordered to Pay Millions to Children at Psychiatric Hospital for Traumatizing Them with Unannounced Active Shooter Drill

The state of Michigan has been ordered to pay $13 million to patients and staff at a children's psychiatric hospital after performing an unannounced active shooter drill.

The majority of employees at the Hawthorn Center in suburban Detroit were not notified about the drill on Dec. 21, 2022, leading patients and staff to believe the call made over the speaker system that there were two armed men in the building, as reported by the Detroit News.

Police, dispatch and paramedics were also not notified about the drill, so when they received 911 calls from fearful staff and patients, they thought the drill was also real. Instead, they were met with two hospital employees who had been told to act as the assailants, according to the lawsuit obtained by Detroit News.

"It was horrifying. Everyone went into, 'Oh my God. This is the worst day of my life,'" attorney Robin Wagner told the Associated Press. "People were hiding under their desks. They were barricading the doors, trying to figure out how to protect the children."

Children and staff will receive payments from the state, with 50 children receiving $60,000 each and 90 staff members could receive more than $50,000 each depending on their trauma exam score, AP reported. Smaller amounts will be awarded to 24 others.

"While I hope the patients and families affected by this situation can find some solace of relief through this settlement, there is a disturbing pattern of the governor's administration failing to take seriously the horrific incidents patients are facing within our state's crumbling mental health system," State Sen. Michael Webber, the minority vice chair for the Senate Health Policy Committee, told the Detroit News.

Lynn Suftin, a spokesperson for the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, said in a statement, "We regret that our patients, staff and community were negatively affected by the unfortunate incident in December 2022. We commend our staff who worked quickly to engage law enforcement partners and the responding agencies who worked to resolve the situation."