The family of a Station 81 firefighter, Tory Carlson, is suing the man who shot and killed him earlier this year.
Losing a loved one is never easy, especially when that death is sudden or could be prevented. Tory Carlson was a firefight specialist for Station 81 and was killed in a shooting earlier this year in Agua Dulce. Now, his parents, Larry and Bonnie, have filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the estate of the man who killed him, Patrick Tatone. The suit was filed earlier this week and is seeking unspecified damages for “assault and battery, negligence and wrongful death.”
According to the lawsuit, the shooting that claimed the life of Tory, 41, “stemmed from a long-standing job-related workplace dispute with (Tatone).” It alleges that, on the morning of the tragic shooting, “Tatone returned to their shared workplace — both men worked at the firehouse located at 8710 Sierra Highway as fire engineers, but on different shifts — following a shift change, and killed Carlon.” From there, it is believed that Tatone “returned to his home and set it ablaze before the fatally turning the gun on himself.” It further reads:
“Defendants, Jonathan Patrick Tatone (Deceased), and DOES 1 through 200’s, conduct was so vile, base, contemptible, miserable, wretched, or loathsome that it is looked down upon and despised by ordinary decent people.”
Following Tory’s death, the Santa Clarita Valley experienced a “widespread period of mourning and remembrance.” He left behind a daughter who was a senior at Saugus High School at the time of the shooting. She was “escorted into her graduation ceremony at College of the Canyons on June 3 by hundreds of her father’s former colleagues.” Additionally, a candlelight vigil was held in his memory “and a large procession of first responders attended a flag ceremony honoring the fallen firefighter at Station 131 in Palmdale on June 15.”
During the June 17 memorial service, Los Angeles County Fire Chief Daryl Osby said, “This loss is extremely heartbreaking and tough, but also what remains in the hearts of many of us is Tory and how fondly we remember him for the man that he was.”
As part of the lawsuit, Larry and Bonnie Carlson listed “three causes of action that would cover the medical, legal and emotional loss” that Tory’s death has caused. Additionally, “a previous creditors claim for $40 million was made by the family against the Tatone estate, but was ultimately shut down on Sept. 7 by the defendants.”
Sources:
Parents of firefighter killed in Station 81 shooting files wrongful death suit
Family of Station 81 Firefighter Killed in Shooting Files Wrongful Death Lawsuit
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