SANTA FE, Texas – A former deputy in Galveston County filed a lawsuit last week against the sheriff’s office and the Texas City Independent School District, claiming the two agencies failed to help him deal with trauma following the tragic Santa Fe High School shooting where 10 individuals were fatally shot.
According to the lawsuit filed on March 23, Brent Cooley is seeking between $200,000 and $5,000,000 in damages.
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Sheriff’s Office lawsuit
According to documents, Cooley led a team of deputies into the high school on March 18, 2018, immediately following the shooting. He also reportedly helped make the initial arrest of Dimitrious Pagourtzi, the teenage shooter accused of killing eight students and two teachers, and injuring 13 others.
Documents state that during the tragedy, Cooley was assigned the responsibility of verifying each student and teachers’ deaths inside the classrooms moments after he had just arrested the shooter.
On the same night of the mass shooting, Cooley claims he was assigned to work the notorious “Go Topless” Jeep weekend in Crystal Beach. The event is infamously known for the dozens of arrests made on chaotic party-goers who participate. Cooley was asked to work the event overnight, for three nights in a row, without being offered additional mental health care following the tragic shooting, according to the lawsuit.
In December 2019, Cooley claims he began experiencing flashbacks, nightmares, and hallucinations about the mass shooting and that he felt left to deal with those issues alone since the sheriff’s office failed to help him previously.
Cooley says he told his supervisor in February 2020 about what he was dealing with and was referred to the Galveston County Employee Assistance Program. Experts diagnosed him with post-traumatic stress disorder and depression, and informed him that the program could only provide him six sessions per year, despite him needing more.
Cooley’s employer labeled his mental health condition as an “on-the-job injury/illness,” which allowed him to initiate a worker’s compensation claim.
Cooley said on May 18, 2020, he and some of the other officers who responded to the shooting met at a bar to reflect on its two-year anniversary. Cooley said that he was never a big drinker, but given the magnitude of the event, he decided to consume alcohol which later caused him to blackout and forget the remainder of the night.
Cooley said the next day, he was notified by a co-worker that he had spewed a racial slur towards one of the deputies who came to the bar to give him a ride home. Allegedly, Cooley then either poked or pushed that deputy. According to the documents, the deputy said he did not want to file any complaints against Cooley at that time.
In June 2020, Chief Deputy Darryl Isaacks decided to file a complaint about the incident at the bar. Cooley was placed on administrative leave pending the investigation, according to documents.
The following month, Cooley’s supervisor and the Office of Professional Standards recommended he be fired from the department.
Cooley attempted to appeal the recommendation, however, the lawsuit states an administrator announced he was no longer employed with the department, effective immediately.
While in the process of seeking the appeal, Cooley applied for and was granted Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), which allowed his employment to be extended until November 2020.
Background
According to the lawsuit, Cooley never had any disciplinary issues over his decades of service, climbing the ranks over the years. The lawsuit notes:
2000: Began working for the Galveston County Sheriff’s Office (at age 28) as a deputy in the Corrections Division.
2003: Transferred to the Patrol Division
2006: Awarded “Deputy of the Year” by the Galveston County Sheriff’s Association
2011: Promoted to the rank of sergeant in the Patrol Division
2017: Completed the Leadership Command College
2018: Awarded a gubernatorial commendation from Texas Governor Gregg Abbott
2018: Promoted to lieutenant within the School Liaison Division as the Assistant Division Commander.
2019: Awarded the 100 Club “Office of the Year” award for his actions in the Santa Fe mass shooting.
Texas City Independent School District’s lawsuit
Cooley said in August, during his FMLA, his supervisor sent him a letter informing him that he had also been removed from their contract with the Texas City Independent School District.
KPRC 2 requested a statement from the Texas City Independent School District. Their spokesperson said, ” We are not at liberty to discuss anything about this case due to impending litigation,” adding, “I also should point out that Texas City ISD still has not received documentation of this lawsuit.”