Powder keg work situation turns deadly.

A workplace shooting at a Las Vegas city maintenance yard has reignited debate over the city's policy allowing some employees with concealed-carry permits to bring firearms to work. What it should lead to is a discussion about why HR did not resolve the issue long ago.

My sources tell me many employees in the Cityof Las Vegas knew about this, and nothing was done. "Officials were reportedly planning to separate them by assigning them to different work locations, but the shooting occurred before that happened". Yeah, okay....

Brysen Kim, 31, is charged with open murder in the fatal shooting of coworker Joey McLean, 41. According to police, the two men had been involved in a months-long feud and had repeatedly filed complaints against each other with Human Resources.

The city's policy prohibits firearms in the workplace except for employees whose jobs require them or those who hold sheriff-issued concealed-carry permits, in accordance with Nevada law. Mayor Shelley Berkley said the city must follow state law, regardless of local officials' personal views on concealed carry.

Legal experts interviewed for the story said the city's gun policy may not be the central issue in any potential lawsuit. Instead, they believe the more significant question is whether city officials knew about the ongoing conflict between the two employees (which they did) and whether they took adequate steps to prevent violence after receiving repeated complaints. And therein lies the lawsuit.

Attorneys noted that even if the city revised its firearm policy or added liability disclaimers, those changes might not shield it from legal responsibility if it can be shown that warning signs were ignored. The case is likely to focus on what city leaders knew about the dispute and how they responded before the deadly confrontation occurred.

I smell lawsuits coming, and guess who will pay THOSE? The taxpayers of Vegas, and not the errant officials. But it's still not okay to kill a co-worker. Lord knows I've been tempted...

Heidi Harris