Green Valley Ranch Sued Over New Years Day Shooting

On New Year’s Day of 2019, a man was gunned down by two armed Green Valley Ranch security guards. Now, his son has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the casino and four of its employees alleging that they had no right to issue commands to the victim or to shoot him a combined 23 times. We’ll take a look at the case and determine whether or not it has merit.

The Victim Had a Gun 

Complicating the matter is the fact that the victim had security called on him for “walking around with a gun”, which is completely legal, of course. One security guard approached him and told him that the area was closed and that he had to leave. The security guard did not tell him the casino policy concerning weapons and did not attempt to call police. The victim left the pool area and sat down by himself.

That’s when the security guard radioed for help. Security approached the victim and asked him if he had a weapon. The victim said he did, which is when the security guards drew their weapons on him and issued “unclear commands”. The victim stood up and appeared to be reaching for his pocket when he was shot 23 times.

No charges have been filed against the security guards.

Are Security Guards Responsible for Escalating Conflict?

All we have is the plaintiff’s account of what happened, so it’s unclear if the security guards escalated the problem by confronting the victim concerning his gun. The security guards appear to have issued instructions to the victim, which he followed, moving himself away from the pool area where there were children. They then confronted him a second time, according to the plaintiffs, after he had done as they asked. Their apparent rationale for doing so was that the victim was in legal possession of a gun.

There is no evidence that the victim was behaving badly with his gun. For example, if he was brandishing it or otherwise placing others in danger, the casino would have an obligation to protect their patrons. As of yet, there’s no indication that’s the case. The man appears to be sitting alone when he is confronted by security. The plaintiff, however, is still in the process of recovering the security tape from the casino.

Wrongful Death Lawsuits 

An adult child filing a wrongful death lawsuit on behalf of a parent is entitled to recover damages related to burial expenses, their own pain and suffering, their parent’s pain and suffering, and punitive damages when appropriate. It is unclear if the defendants behaved egregiously enough to warrant punitive damages. However, if the victim’s story is true, then punitive damages are a real possibility here.

Talk to a Houston Premises Liability Attorney

If you’ve been injured or someone you love has been killed on someone else’s property, you may be entitled to recover damages. Call the Houston personal injury attorneys at Livingston & Flowers today to schedule a free consultation and discuss the matter.

Resource:

reviewjournal.com/local/henderson/green-valley-ranch-security-guards-sued-over-2019-shooting-death-2148683/

https://www.livingstonflowerslaw.com/plaintiff-alleges-his-paralysis-was-caused-by-water-slide/