NASHVILLE — An injured teenager who survived a January 2025 high school shooting in Nashville, Tennessee, filed a lawsuit in Davidson County court against Omnilert. The shooting resulted in two deaths, including the shooter. The lawsuit alleges that Omnilert's artificial intelligence (AI) gun detection system failed to identify the handgun used during the incident. System Integrations, which resold the Omnilert detection system, is named as a co-defendant.
The lawsuit claims Omnilert knew or should have known about operational limitations of its detection system. These limitations are cited as relating to camera placement, proximity to sensors, angle, lighting, and weapon visibility. Omnilert cofounder Ara Bagdasarian declined to answer questions about the lawsuit.
According to Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools spokesperson Sean Braisted, the imagery "wasnât close enough to get an accurate read and to activate that alarm" due to the shooter's position relative to the cameras. The district board approved a contract exceeding one million dollars in 2023 to install an AI detection layer on its district-wide camera network.
The lawsuit states Omnilert's website claimed its technology could have mitigated or prevented a tragedy at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School by identifying threats earlier. Attorney Chris Smith, representing the plaintiff, said, "I just thought that it was kind of bullshit. I have a Tesla, and I think Teslaâs self-driving is bullshit. Itâs not ready for prime time!" Smith also said, "I thought it was important beyond Mr. Haninâs own injuries to raise awareness of the whole situation."
David Riedman, an education and security expert who maintains the K-12 School Shooting Database, said, "Iâve never seen a school shooting where there was a lack of notification." Riedman also stated that funds spent on deploying detection systems "could have gone to a counselor or something else to a kid in crisis." Smith also remarked that, to his knowledge, "this is the first lawsuit of its kind brought against Omnilert or a similar company."