The family of Army medic Rudy Acosta, a Santa Clarita native, has federal wrongful death lawsuit against a Canadian contractor. The suit alleges Tundra Strategies hired the Afghan security guard that ended up murdering Acosta, even though the man had a history of threatening U.S. troops.
Plaintiffs’ attorney Michael Doyle told the Associated Press:
“All we know at this point is (Tundra) didn’t do what it was hired to do. It was clear enough that this guy shouldn’t be given a weapon around the troops.”
The A.P. reports Tundra hired Shir Ahmed in May 2010, then fired him two months later after he allegedly threatened to kill U.S. soldiers. The lawsuit filed by the Acosta family claims Tundra ignored this troubling detail when it rehired Ahmed in 2011.
Ahmed shot Rudy Acosta, 19, to death on March 19, 2011 in Afghanistan as he and his fellow soldiers were cleaning their weapons. Cpl. Donald R. Mickler Jr., 29, was also killed in the shooting spree, and four other soldiers were injured. Ahmed was killed in the ensuing gun battle, according to the Los Angeles Times.
