People in New York may have heard about a shooting at a video game tournament in Florida on August 26. Two people died and 10 were injured before the gunman killed himself.
According to one attorney, at least one of the people who suffered physical injury as well as others who were emotionally traumatized plan to file a lawsuit related to the shooting. The lawyer did not say who would be the targets of the lawsuit but did say there should have been more security at the event.
The incident happened at an entertainment complex known as the Jacksonville Landing. It was hosted by a bar at the back of a Chicago Pizza restaurant. The attorney said that there had been other violence in the area in the past, so it should have been clear that high levels of security were needed.
The 24-year-old man who fired the shots purchased the guns legally in his home city of Baltimore. Although people who have been voluntarily committed to a psychiatric institution for at least 30 days or people who have been involuntarily committed are not supposed to buy guns under Maryland law, his adolescent hospitalizations did not count.
A premises liability case rests on the assumption that a property owner or manager has an obligation to take reasonable steps to keep people who are on that property safe. Besides providing adequate security at events, other examples might be making sure that walkways are clear and equipment is in good working order. Compensation in these cases can be important for people who have medical expenses and may be unable to return to work for some time after being injured.
Source: USA Today, "'It must always be people over profits': Jacksonville shooting survivors to file lawsuit," David Osborn and John Bacon, 8/28/2018