Photo by Chris Rief aka Spodie Odie

The widow of a D.C. sanitation worker who was murdered last October at a DPW facility is now suing the city over negligence in implementing recommended safety measures. Larry Hutchins was killed, and one other worker injured, when an unknown man, reportedly dressed in a DPW uniform, open fire on the facility grounds

Shadone Taylor-Hutchins claims in her lawsuit that the city failed to act on several security and safety recommendations in an April 2010 review of the DPW site at 1241 W Street NE. Recommendations included: repairs to security cameras and fencing, a 24-hour entrance guard and proper lighting.

A dispute still remains over whether the city or DPW Director William Howland knew of the critical report and the recommended repairs. The Washington Post reports that during a council hearing days after the murder, Howland admitted that budget cuts had prevented maintenance of cameras and other security measures at the site. However, he denied ever having seen nor requested the writing of the April report, which had been created after another violent incident a year earlier.

In December, a building near the facility was named in honor of Hutchins.