Beaufort County SC Jan 9 2018 A Sea Pines security officer with a history of mental illness was provided with a gun and ammunition just four days before he took his own life, according to a lawsuit filed in Beaufort County.

The late Nathan Henry Swen’s wife, Danielle, filed the lawsuit on Dec. 20 against the Association of Sea Pines Plantation Property Owners and Community Services Associates, the organization that provides security operations for the gated community.

The suit states that Swen was hired by CSA as a security officer in January 2016. Then, on March 21, 2016, CSA provided Swen with a firearm and 26 rounds of ammunition.

Four days later, on March 25, 2016, Swen took his own life, according to the lawsuit.

Swen, 24, was from Deland, Fla., and was a corporal in the United States Marine Corps, according to a Facebook tribute page in his honor.

Swen served as a marksmanship coach at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island and “supervised recruits as they shot on the range and guided them through difficulties they could face as new shooters,” according to an online Marine Corps photo.

Swen is one of a long list of veterans who commit suicide across the United States and within South Carolina each year.

In 2014, 143 veterans in South Carolina committed suicide and nearly 80 percent of those used a firearm. South Carolina’s rate of veteran suicides in 2014 was slightly higher than the national average, according to the most recent analysis from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

According to the lawsuit, Swen also had a history of mental illness and was previously turned down for security and law enforcement positions due to his mental health.

His wife, Danielle, declined to comment on the pending lawsuit or expand on the mental illness Swen suffered from.

The lawsuit claims that CSA was careless and negligent in hiring and retaining Swen as an armed security officer and failing to conduct “a reasonable background check” and an “inquiry into his mental health.”

As a result of Swen’s death, the suit states that Danielle suffered injuries and damages including the wrongful death of Swen, the loss of his companionship and services — economic loss, mental shock and suffering — and reasonable funeral expenses and medical bills.

Under state law, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division is in charge of providing the curriculum, training and certification for South Carolina Security Training Officers, as well as registering special armed security officers, determining officer qualifications and investigating alleged violations.

Community Services Associates said that the organization does not publicly discuss ongoing lawsuits, potential litigation or specific employees.

However, the organization did release this statement regarding their security officers: “All CSA security officers are state-registered. CSA strictly adheres to SLED (State Law Enforcement Division) policies regarding recruiting, training, development and employment.”

Fred Kuhn, the lawyer representing Danielle Swen, declined to comment on the pending case.

In February 2017, President Donald Trump and Congress enacted a law that rolled back an Obama administration regulation, which made it harder for some individuals with a mental illness to purchase a gun.

Obama’s regulation, which was finalized in December 2016, required the Social Security Administration to report disability applicants unable to manage their own finances due to a mental health condition to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System.

The rule aimed to make it easier for the FBI to flag those with a severe mental illness while doing a background check on a firearm purchase.

Along with Trump, the National Rifle Association and the American Civil Liberties Union — two groups that usually advocate on opposite sides of gun-related issues — both spoke in opposition of the Obama-era regulation.

In a blog post at the time, Vania Leveille, ACLU senior legislative counsel, and Susan Mizner, ACLU disability counsel, wrote: “The thousands of Americans whose disability benefits are managed by someone else range from young people with depression and financial inexperience to older adults with Down syndrome needing help with a limited budget. But no data — none — show that these individuals have a propensity for violence in general or gun violence in particular.”

South Carolina enacted a law in 2013 that required the reporting of mental health-related information to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System database.

The statewide law requires probate courts to report the names of all individuals declared mentally incompetent by a court to the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, which then adds the information to the federal database.

The database was launched in 1998 and is used by the FBI to identify individuals barred from buying firearms —convicted felons, fugitives, domestic violence offenders and the mentally ill.

The Island Packet

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