A man who was shot during an event at a Richmond banquet hall is suing the gunman and his family, as well as the hall for damages.
Amrit Singh Bunwait was one of four people shot by Sukhdeep Singh Sandhu during an induction ceremony for members of the longshoremen's union at the Riverside Banquet Hall on River Road on Jan. 16, 2013.
On July 9 last year, Sandhu was convicted of the aggravated assaults of Bunwait and two others and the attempted murder of a fourth person.
But he was found to be not criminally responsible for the crimes due to a mental disorder and remains at the Forensic Psychiatric Hospital in Coquitlam.
Sandhu fired his weapon once at Jaspaul Sidhu, who was attending the event, resulting in Sidhu falling to his knees.
He tried to shoot Sidhu again, but the gun jammed at close range. During the ensuing melee, three more people, including Bunwait, were shot.
As a result of the shooting, Bunwait suffered an injury to his legs, as well as from fatigue, insomnia and anxiety.
In a lawsuit filed in B.C. Supreme Court, the shooting victim alleges that between 2004 and the date of the shooting, Sandhu knew or ought to have known that he was exhibiting signs of mental illness, including auditory hallucinations that instructed him to cause harm to himself and others.
Sandhu had cut himself at least once and had physically attacked his brother at least once, according to the lawsuit.
The defendant knew that his family was concerned about his behaviour and encouraged him to seek professional help but he refused or neglected to do so, the suit claims.
Bunwait says Sandhu bought a gun when he knew his symptoms would cause him to use the firearm against others.
His suit claims that the defendant's family was negligent because they failed to supervise him when they knew he had a mental disorder.
It also claims that the banquet hall owed a duty of care and should have known of the potential for shootings, assaults and other unsafe conditions.
No response has been filed to the notice of civil claim, which contains allegations that have not been proven in court.
The hall could not be reached for comment.
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