Hero student, 15, who was shot five times using his body to shield others who were fleeing Parkland gunman is the first to file lawsuit over the deadly shooting

  • Anthony Borges, 15, is suing the Broward County sheriff's office, school district, and the principal and resource officer at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High 
  • Borges is the first student to file a lawsuit over the Valentine's Day shooting that left 17 dead and dozens injured
  • In his two-page notice filed Monday, Borges' attorney writes that the school district and sheriff's office could have done more to prevent the shooting
  • Borges was struck five times trying to protect 20 other students 
  • He continues to recover from his injuries in the hospital and has not been able to walk yet  

By Associated Press and Ashley Collman For Dailymail.com

Published: | Updated:

Anthony Borges, 15 (pictured), is suing the Broward County sheriff's office, school district, and the principal and resource officer at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High

Anthony Borges, 15 (pictured), is suing the Broward County sheriff's office, school district, and the principal and resource officer at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High

A 15-year-old who was grievously wounded in the Florida school shooting has filed notice that he will sue authorities to seek money to cover the cost of his recovery.

A lawyer for Anthony Borges and his family says the sheriff's office, the school resource officer, the Broward County school system and the principal at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School failed to protect students from the teen gunman who killed 17 people and wounded more than a dozen others on Valentine's Day.

'The failure of Broward County Public Schools, and of the principal and school resource officer to adequately protect students, and in particular our client, from life-threatening harm were unreasonable, callous and negligent,' attorney Alex Arreaza wrote in the lawsuit notice on Monday. 'Such action or inaction led to the personal injuries sustained by my client.' 

The lawsuit is likely to be the first of many filed by survivors and victims' families.    

Borges was shot five times using his body as a human shield to protect 20 other students fleeing the Parkland gunman. He's pictured above in his hospital room after the shooting, with Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel

Borges was shot five times using his body as a human shield to protect 20 other students fleeing the Parkland gunman. He's pictured above in his hospital room after the shooting, with Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel

Arreaza says Borges was hit five times, still can't walk and has 'a great deal of difficulty performing rudimentary tasks for himself.'

Areeaza says Borges has undergone several surgeries and is still a 'very long way' to recovery. 

'By the grace of God he's not No. 18,' Borges' attorney Alex Arreaza said. 'But it's going to be a tough recovery … it's a miracle that we're even talking about recovery.' 

Borges continues to recover from his injuries at Broward General Medical Center. 

His attorney says his medical bills will definitely exceed $1million and that they will be suing for damages to be determined at a later date. 

In his two-page notice filed Monday, Borges' attorney writes that the school district and sheriff's office could have done more to prevent the shooting. Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School is pictured above last week, as students returned to classes

In his two-page notice filed Monday, Borges' attorney writes that the school district and sheriff's office could have done more to prevent the shooting. Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School is pictured above last week, as students returned to classes

'Unfortunately medical bills can bankrupt a family and it has to be addressed,' he said. 'There could have been a lot more done to prevent this tragedy.'

Borges was hailed as a hero in the attack, for using his body as a shield to protect 20 other students fleeing the gunman. 

One of Borges' friends, Carlos Rodriguez, said that he wouldn't be alive if it wasn't for Borges. 

 He says they were running to hide in a locked room when the suspected gunman, Nikolas Cruz, opened fire on them. 

Rodriguez said Borges used his body as a human shield to protect the 20 people fleeing the gunman. 

Borges was struck twice in his right leg, once in his left leg and twice in his torso. 

Arreaza says it was Borges training as a Boy Scout that helped save his life, since he knew how to create a tourniquet to stop the excessive bleeding.  

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