Murder victims' families suing Xerox

By David Waite
Advertiser Staff Writer

Relatives of the seven men killed two years ago at the Xerox Building on Nimitz Highway filed three separate lawsuits yesterday alleging that Xerox Corp. officials did not do enough to prevent Byran Uyesugi from shooting the seven co-workers.

The suit also alleges that various O'ahu hospitals, clinics and doctors who treated Uyesugi for mental health problems did not do enough to prevent the tragedy.

Uyesugi also is named as a defendant in the lawsuits, which allege that Xerox officials knew years before the Nov. 2, 1999, shootings that Uyesugi had anger management problems, kept an extensive firearms collection and had told supervisors he was afraid to bring any of the weapons to work for fear he might be tempted to use them on his co-workers.

The lawsuits seek general, special, and in some cases punitive damages. The amounts are to be determined at trial.

Uyesugi, 41, was found guilty of first-degree murder in June 2000 and sentenced to life in prison without parole, the harshest penalty allowed under state law.

The seven killed were Ron Kawamae, Jason Balatico, Melvin Lee, Ford Kanehira, Ron Kataoka, Peter Mark and John Sakamoto.

Xerox officials and their attorney could not be reached last night to comment on the lawsuits.