One year after being shot in the head by Boston Police, a Brigham and Women’s Hospital valet is suing his employer, claiming that the injuries he suffered were a result of an unnecessary escalation of a confrontation with a man outside the hospital by the medical center’s security.
The shooting occurred on February 7, 2020, after hospital security guards approached Juston Root, 41, who had a history of mental health issues and was described in the lawsuit as nonsensical at the time, according to a Boston Globe report. At one point in the exchange, Root took out a gun and the guards contacted the police, believing it was a real gun. Then as the interaction with the police escalated, Root began chasing the security guards, who were unaware the weapon was a paintball gun, the Globe reported.
Hospital valet, Justin Desmarais, was shot standing at the entrance of Brigham and Women’s Hospital (Photo by STAN HONDA/AFP via Getty Images)
The main entrance of Bringham and Women’s Hospital is seen April 15, 2013 in Boston, Massachusetts. Many who were wounded when two explosions struck near the finish line of the Boston Marathon earlier were brought to Brigham and Women’s. AFP PHOTO/Stan HONDA (Photo credit should read STAN HONDA/AFP via Getty Images)
The valet, Justin Desmarais, was standing under the covered main entrance of Brigham and Women’s Hospital directly across the street from where Root was positioned on Vining Street when the Boston Police arrived and opened fire, according to the Globe.
Desmarais was struck by gunshots in his head and right eye that left bullet fragments in his brain, according to the lawsuit, the Globe reported. The lawsuit states that the three security officers had a duty to protect and should have warned everyone in the vicinity, including Desmarais, then led them to shelter, and initiated a hospital lockdown.
Following the gunfire in front of the hospital, Juston Root got into his car which began a high speed chase with the police, who caught him in Brookline where Root was shot and killed by police. (RELATED: Elderly Crossing Guard And Korean War Veteran Has Guns Seized After School Shooting Comment)