RALEIGH, NC –In recent court documents, Smithfield Fresh Meats Corp., stated that it was suing a staffing firm that hired a man convicted of attempted murder.

Smithfield is suing Dycos Services, a contract sanitation company, because it will not cover the costs and expenses that the company incurred because of the shooting, according to court documents. 

During November 2021, Jaquante Hakeem Williams, whom Dycos hired, was sentenced to more than 20 years in prison for the attempted murder of two employees at the Smithfield Foods Inc. Tar Heel plant.

The incident happened in 2019 when law enforcement responded to an active shooter at the facility. 

The lawsuit says that one person, Anthony Ratley, was struck six times during the shooting and is now a paraplegic as a result of injuries. 

Marleni Simiona Gonzalez Velazquez also sustained injuries during the shooting and was sent to the hospital. Dailey Rivera was also hurt after falling down when fleeing the plant following the shooting.