Lawsuit accuses Potomac assisted living facility of ignoring concerns about murder suspect

A lawsuit accuses an assisted living facility in Potomac, Maryland, of ignoring concerns about an employee before investigators say he gunned down an 87-year-old man who lived there.

The mother of suspect Maurquise James held a senior position at the Cogir Senior Living facility and is accused of suppressing complaints about her son.

Robert Fuller Jr. was shot and killed in his assisted living apartment on Valentine’s Day. It wasn’t for another 10 days that James, 22, was taken into custody. He was a medication tech at the facility and is suspected of killing Fuller while his partner also was in the unit.

The victim’s partner alleges that Cogir had full knowledge of the danger James posed but chose to ignore it.

The same day Fuller was killed, the facility said in an email to residents that there was no ongoing threat. Days later, they emailed again and said Fuller’s death was “isolated” and there was “no ongoing threat.”

A week later, according to the partner’s lawsuit, a witness told police the murder suspect seen on surveillance video looked like James. He was confronted by staff members.

Staff members found a propped-open door and disabled security sensors. Police believe it was tampered with more than a month before Fuller’s murder.

The lawsuit alleges that for weeks before Fuller’s death, concerns raised about James’ behavior were ignored.

The suit alleges that James’ mother, who was a senior director at Cogir, used her “position of authority to suppress complaints about her son […] and reprimand employees who, in keeping with their professional and ethical obligations, reported his troubling behaviors.”

James is being held without bond. He is also accused of firing shots at a Maryland state trooper 10 days after Fuller’s murder.

Stay with NBC Washington for updates on this developing story. New details are expected at a news conference Friday.