Georgia Legal Report
(WSBTV News)
Security Lapse? Our Legal Take: Three Adults, Infant Injured in Shooting Outside Austin Oaks Apartments
Local News
An infant and three adults were reportedly injured when gunfire erupted outside the Austin Oaks Apartments Monday night, October 12, 2015.
According to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, an armed assailant “walked into the breezeway at the Austin Oaks apartments, on Glenwood Avenue near Decatur, and started shooting shortly after 8 p.m.” Three adults suffered “gunshot wounds to the lower extremities” during the attack. All three were reportedly transported to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. A baby boy, believed to be around one-year-old, was transported to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta at Egleston in critical condition, per media reports.
Police have not yet captured the gunman, apparenlty leaving residents once again concerned for the safety of their families. The AJC reveals the complex has a history of gun violence, including the fatal shooting of a teenage boy in 2013 and the fatal double shooting of two police officers in 2008. In 2013, DeKalb County Police Chief Cedric Alexander told reporters, “Clearly, there are some issues that are still very prevalent as it relates to crime … at that complex.”
Our Legal Take
Apartment complex residents have a right to feel safe and secure while in the community. Given the alleged history of criminal violence on property, The Murray Law Firm questions the level of security provided to those on the Austin Oaks property and whether this horrific attack may have been prevented.
- How did the intruder gain entry to the property? What access-controls and security measures, such as gated entry, fencing, surveillance cameras, bright lighting, and security patrols, were in place to protect residents and deter crime?
- Were any additional security precautions implemented by the Austin Oaks owner or management company, following previous reports of criminal activity, to protect residents and guests?
By law, apartment owners are required to protect all residents and guests legally on the premises from any foreseeable harm. Should the facts of this matter reveal that the apartment complex owner or management company failed to provide adequate security, the victims may elect to seek justice and pursue a legal claim for their injuries. Based upon its extensive and successful experience in handling negligent security cases against apartment complexes in Georgia, The Murray Law Firm suggests that photographs and a thorough, unbiased inspection of the apartment and property will need to be performed immediately, before any evidence may be repaired, damaged or destroyed.
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