Fasig | Brooks Files Negligent Security Lawsuit Over Fatal Shooting of U.S. Army Veteran at Tallahassee Apartments

Fasig | Brooks Law Offices has filed a negligent security lawsuit on behalf of the family of Khali Knight, a 23-year-old U.S. Army Veteran who was fatally shot on July 17, 2024, at ReNew Tallahassee apartments in Tallahassee, Florida. The lawsuit, filed in Leon County Circuit Court, names VA8 Seminole Grand, LLC d/b/a ReNew Tallahassee, Trinity Property Consultants, LLC, and Norwood Holdings, LLC d/b/a Signal of Central Tallahassee as defendants. The apartment complex is located at 1505 West Tharpe Street, Tallahassee, Florida 32303.

The complaint alleges that the defendants were negligent in their duty to provide adequate security measures for residents and guests. Despite a documented history of prior shooting incidents and violent crimes on and around the premises in recent years, the property owner, management company, and security company failed to implement reasonable and necessary safeguards. Attorney Ryan Molaghan stated, "Khali Knight's untimely death was entirely preventable. The site of this senseless shooting has been a hotbed for serious violent crime, including several shooting deaths, for years and years."

The lawsuit alleges a litany of failures, including inadequate lighting, insufficient security patrols, lack of proper access controls, and failure to respond appropriately to the known pattern of violent criminal activity. The action further alleges that the contracted security company failed to fulfill its professional obligations, placing residents and visitors at an unreasonable and foreseeable risk of harm.

The involved perpetrator, who was allowed to reside at ReNew Tallahassee at the time of the shooting, pleaded guilty to federal gun and drug offenses related to Knight's murder and was sentenced to 30 years in prison. While the criminal justice system has delivered a measure of justice, Attorneys Molaghan and Hogan emphasized that the civil case seeks to hold accountable those whose negligence created the dangerous conditions. "A criminal conviction of the shooter does not absolve those who failed to prevent the violence in the first place from being held accountable," Molaghan said. "Property owners and management companies, as well as security companies, have a legal obligation to keep people lawfully on the property safe. Full stop."

The case highlights the broader implications for premises liability and the responsibility of property owners and security firms to address foreseeable risks. This lawsuit underscores the importance of proactive security measures in preventing violence and the legal consequences when those measures are neglected.