Mia Tretta, a survivor of a deadly shooting at Brown University in 2022, has reached a $6 million settlement with the prestigious Ivy League institution. The agreement concludes a lawsuit that accused the university of negligence in failing to prevent the attack, which left one student dead and Tretta herself severely injured.
A Day of Horror on Campus
The incident unfolded on the morning of December 16, 2022, on the university's campus in Providence, Rhode Island. A fellow student, Dylan Gounadjian, aged 24, opened fire with a semi-automatic handgun. The attack resulted in the tragic death of Kyle Lopes, a 23-year-old doctoral student, and left Mia Tretta, then 21, fighting for her life after being shot in the stomach.
Court documents revealed that Gounadjian had a documented history of disturbing behaviour, which Tretta's legal team argued the university was aware of but did not adequately address. The lawsuit claimed Brown University did not take sufficient steps to protect its students, despite prior warnings about the shooter's potential for violence.
A Lifelong Journey of Recovery and Advocacy
For Mia Tretta, the physical and emotional scars from that day are permanent. She has undergone multiple surgeries and continues to manage chronic pain and post-traumatic stress. The settlement, while substantial, is framed not as a conclusion but as a resource for her ongoing recovery and her mission to prevent similar tragedies.
Tretta is already a prominent figure in the US gun control movement. Her advocacy began years before the Brown University attack, stemming from a personal connection to another mass shooting. In 2019, her best friend, Dominic Blackwell, was killed in the Saugus High School shooting in California. This dual experience of loss and survival has fuelled her determination to campaign for stricter firearm legislation.
"The settlement allows me to focus on my health and my work," Tretta stated. "But no amount of money can bring back Kyle or Dominic, or undo what happened. My goal remains changing the laws so no one else has to go through this."
The Broader Fight for Gun Law Reform
The case has cast a spotlight on the responsibilities of educational institutions in the United States to ensure campus safety amidst the nation's ongoing gun violence crisis. While Brown University did not admit liability as part of the settlement, the multi-million-dollar payout is a significant outcome.
Tretta's story is a powerful testament to the long-term impact of gun violence. Her settlement provides the means for continued medical care and therapy, but her public focus remains firmly on activism. She works with several national gun safety groups, sharing her story to lobby politicians and push for legislative changes, including enhanced background checks and red flag laws.
The December 2022 shooting at Brown University added another grim entry to the long list of campus shootings in America. Through her settlement and her unwavering voice, Mia Tretta is ensuring that this event leads not just to a legal resolution, but to a sustained call for action to prevent future bloodshed in schools and universities across the country.
