The complex at the Hampton Court Apartments in West Palm Beach has been plagued in recent years by shootings and murders, with another shooting taking place this week that left a 39-year old mother dead in her own home.
Rosemithe Colin was reportedly in her home when an unknown figure fired three bullets through a sliding glass door, striking her, at approximately midnight on Monday, August 7th, 2017, according to media reports.
This is another example of how the building owners are potentially neglectful in security the apartment complex that they rent out to tenants.
Apartment complex shootings are potential personal injury cases
To understand how such a terrible act of violence such as the showing of Rosemithe Colin could be a potential personal injury claim, consider the responsibility of the owners of Hampton Court. The apartment complex owners have known, or should have known, that shootings frequently occur on their property grounds, and it is their sole responsibility to provide for adequate security.
The Hampton Court Apartments complex is a gated community, but that hasn’t stopped at least eight people being killed in eight years on the grounds, including a triple murder of a group of teenagers in 2014. That should be enough activity to alert the owners that they have an issue to address, in that their residents are not safe.
The area of law that the owners are potentially liable for is called negligent security. That means that the families who rent in these apartments, including Mrs. Colin and her family, have a right to feel safe and secure in their home.
The fact that the owners may not have provided that protection fully in the form of an off-duty cop patrol, or by engaging the services of a private security company, for example, could potentially be an act of negligence under Florida law.
Anyone who has lost a loved one due to a shooting or violence in a rented apartment complex such as Hampton Court are encouraged to contact a personal injury who has experience in handling cases involving negligent security.
These are often difficult cases to prove, so time and expertise are of the essence when considering whether to hire a a personal injury lawyer.