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Gov’t: No damages for US official injured in office shooting

This FBI photo acquired by the Associated Press shows the shooting scene at a Long Beach, Calif., Federal Courthouse in Long Beach, Calif. On Feb. 16 an ICE agent opened fire on a supervisor, and then was shot and killed by another agent. The Homeland Security Department missed clear warning signs of a disgruntled federal agent’s descent toward violence and could have intervened before he started a gun battle that resulted in his own death and the serious injury of another agent inside a government office building in southern California, according to a confidential, internal investigation obtained exclusively by The Associated Press. (FBI via AP)
This FBI photo acquired by the Associated Press shows the shooting scene at a Long Beach, Calif., Federal Courthouse in Long Beach, Calif. On Feb. 16 an ICE agent opened fire on a supervisor, and then was shot and killed by another agent. The Homeland Security Department missed clear warning signs of a disgruntled federal agent’s descent toward violence and could have intervened before he started a gun battle that resulted in his own death and the serious injury of another agent inside a government office building in southern California, according to a confidential, internal investigation obtained exclusively by The Associated Press. (FBI via AP)

By Associated Press 1 min read

WASHINGTON (AP) – A Homeland Security Department official injured in a shooting by a federal agent inside a government office building says he can’t seek damages in the case because he is a government employee.

Kevin Kozak (KOE-zack) was a senior manager in the Los Angeles area for U.S. Homeland Security Investigations. He was shot seven times when a disgruntled agent began firing during a disciplinary hearing in February 2012. The Associated Press reported this week a new investigation found that the government missed warning signs in the behavior of Ezequiel “Zeke” Garcia before Garcia began firing.

Kozak spent seven months in a wheelchair and two years in physical therapy, re-learning how to walk. Doctors say he may lose his leg. The government has turned down his claim for $5 million in damages.