An Atlanta man has been awarded more than US$1 million in damages after he was shot at a gas station that he argued should have taken steps that would have prevented the shooting.
Daniel Rosebud, 27, was caught in the crossfire on Nov. 1, 2015, as two men opened fire on each other. He was shot in the abdomen while sitting in the passenger seat of a vehicle driven by his friend, who was one of the gunmen.
“The gas station had been warned over and over by police, customers, and employees that the guys who hung out at the gas station were dangerous, but they ignored the warnings,” Rosebud’s lawyer, Michael Rafi said in a press release.
Rafi told Global News his client sued for negligence security.
According to Rafi, the jury found the gas station 66 per cent to blame for the shooting, while the gunmen were each 17 per cent responsible.
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He even went on to say employees were aware of the dangers on the business’ property.
“Three days before [Rosebud] was shot there was a shooting, and another shooting five-and-a-half months prior to that,” said Rafi.
Surveillance video shows a man in a white T-shirt approaching the car. The man and the car’s driver began arguing.
NBC affiliate, WTOC, reported that it’s not known how their conversation turned into an argument, but it didn’t take long before they both began firing at one another.
Rafi told Global News it’s not known who shot first, however, Rosebud was hit by a bullet in his abdomen.
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He went on to say since the gas station owner knew the type of people who loitered by the store, he intentionally “ignored warnings and invited danger.”
“We asked the jury ‘How safe do they want to be when they leave their house? When they go to businesses?’ This is what that verdict means,” said Rafi.
The identity of the man in the white T-shirt is still unknown.