A student who was injured in a 2018 shooting at Forest High School has reached a settlement agreement with the Marion County School District for a lawsuit he filed in 2022.
Attorneys representing Evan Eckenroth and Marion County Public Schools came to the agreement during a moderation held on September 30.
The mediation, which was moderated by John D. Jopling of Ormond Beach, resulted in an undisclosed settlement agreement and amount.
The settlement comes more than seven years after the incident in question. On April 20, 2018, Sky Bouche, a non-student, entered Forest High School’s parking lot, walked into the main building while carrying a bag and a guitar case, and proceeded to the second floor of the main building.
Bouche entered a restroom, where he equipped himself with a tactical-style vest, gloves, and a shotgun. He left the restroom and walked over to a classroom before firing the shotgun at the door.
Bouche then talked with a teacher until a School Resource Officer arrived to arrest him.
Eckenroth, who was struck by shards from the door in the incident, sustained severe injuries from the shooting.
Bouche eventually pleaded no contest to charges connected with the shooting incident. In 2021, he was sentenced to a minimum of 25 years behind bars and his prison term will be followed by 30 years of probation.
In 2022, Eckenroth’s attorneys filed the lawsuit against MCPS and the Marion County School Board.
In that complaint, Eckenroth alleged that MCPS failed to have proper security measures in place to protect students and keep non-students from accessing the school’s parking lot and main building during school hours.
The complaint further accused MCPS of negligence that led to Eckenroth suffering injuries, pain and suffering, disability, disfigurement, permanent and significant scarring, among other damages and losses.
None of the financial terms of the agreement were publicly disclosed and the case still has an “open” status in the Marion County court system.