The mother of a Bronx high schooler stabbed to death by a fellow student intends to file a $25 million lawsuit against the city Wednesday, the Daily News has learned.
Louna Dennis claims the city was negligent in failing to stop a student at the Urban Assembly School for Wildlife Conversation from murdering her son Matthew McCree in September 2017.
“Had they had a metal detector at the school, they would have been able to detect that he had a weapon,” a teary Dennis told The News in an emotional interview inside her lawyer’s office.
Prosecutors say Abel Cedeno, 18, plunged a switchblade into the chest of 15-year-old McCree in front of horrified teachers and students during their history class.
Cedeno also stabbed a second student but he survived.
The bisexual suspect has said he “snapped” after enduring weeks of anti-gay slurs and other abuse from classmates.
The shocking killing marked the first inside a city school since February 1993.
“It’s been living a nightmare up ’til this day,” Dennis said. “It’s a nightmare for me and my family; it’s so hard. We’re trying to get by, but it’s not that easy.”
The suit pins blame on the Education Department for failing to install metal detectors inside the troubled school. It also says the city took no action after the school became aware that Cedeno was bringing a weapon onto the premises.
Cedeno’s mother had warned administrators that her son was hiding knives in his backpack — and had been “pulling knives on his family,” according to a voicemail anonymously sent to Dennis.
“Responsibility for the wrongful death of Matthew McCree lies not only with the defendant Abel Cedeno, but also with the Department of Education as well,” said Dennis’ lawyer Sanford Rubenstein.
“They had notice that Abel Cedeno was bringing a weapon to school prior to the occurrence (and) metal detectors were requested by the principal of the school. The Department of Education headquarters did not approve that request.”
The suit, which names Cedeno, the city, the Education Department and the NYPD, is expected to be filed in Bronx Supreme Court.
Law Department spokesman Nicholas Paolucci called the stabbing “a tragic incident.”
“The safety of students and staff is a top priority. We cannot comment further while this case is pending,” he added.
A grand jury, which declined to indict Cedeno for murder, charged him with manslaughter, assault and weapons charges. He has pleaded not guilty and was released from Rikers Island on $250,000 bond.
Dennis said Cedeno belongs behind bars.
“I want to see justice for my son,” she said. “I just have to wait.”
