Atlanta Injury Lawyers Blog

As an Atlanta apartment shooting law firm, we are troubled at the recent slew of apartment complex crimes. Another such shooting occurred this past Tuesday night in Newton County, Georgia. Unfortunately, in addition to the apartment shooting, there was a related car accident which led to the wrongful death of Shirley Akin.

The robbery/shooting happened at approximately 7:30 p.m. on February 23, 2010 at an apartment complex in Newton County. The victim was taken by ambulance to Atlanta Medical Center for treatment of a bullet wound. Following the shooting, the suspects fled the scene in a black Nissan Maxima.

Later in the evening, the two men, while apparently on the run from authorities, struck Ms. Akin's vehicle after running a red light. Ms. Akin was taken to Rockdale Medical Center where she perished as a result of her injuries.

As an Atlanta law firm that represents Clients in apartment shooting cases, we were pleased to learn of the quick arrests of arrested of two individuals suspected of having association with the recent murder of a young woman in an Atlanta apartment complex. Our law firm understands that it is sometimes difficult to locate and apprehend suspects in these types of cases, and the Atlanta Police Department deserves accolades for their swift work.

The young woman was shot in early February at the Atlanta Garden Apartments. She was transported form the scene and died a short time later a Grady Memorial Hospital. All accounts indicate that the woman an innocent bystander to a violent confrontation at the apartment complex.

It remains to be seen whether the owners of the apartment complex will be liable for failing to provide adequate security. An Atlanta premises liability attorney will need to establish that the owners or managers of the apartment complex were aware of criminal activity on the premise in the surrounding area and, despite knowledge of this prior crime, failed to take adequate measures to protect those on its premise.

A woman who was raped at an Atlanta-area apartment complex was awarded over $8 million dollars by a DeKalb County jury. From an Atlanta premises liability attorney's perspective, this was an excellent verdict for the victim. Hotel and apartment rapes and shootings continue to occur at too regular a frequency in Atlanta and surrounding counties such as DeKalb, Fulton, and Cobb, and the victims of these crimes deserve to be rewarded for the failure of the premises owner to secure his or her property.

The victim in this case was raped when her assailant entered through a window in the apartment. Lawyers for the apartment complex argued that the victim had created the circumstances that allowed her to be raped by giving extra apartment keys to friends and family. The victim's lawyers defeated these defenses, asserting that the lack of security in the apartment complex is what ultimately precipitated the rape. We are proud of our colleagues for obtaining justice for the victim, and we continue efforts at our firm to achieve justice for victims of similar crimes.

Under Georgia law, an apartment owner has a duty to keep the apartment complex safe. Where an apartment owner has reason to anticipate criminal activity on its property through prior crime at the apartment or in the surrounding area, the apartment owner must take reasonable steps to provide adequate security. If the apartment owner fails to undertake these steps, he or she is liable for any injuries that occur to its invitees as a consequence.