Hire a Negligent Security Lawyer After a Shooting or Violent Crime
By Nicholas Testa on 2026/05/14 23:04:50
When a person walks into an apartment complex, shopping center, hotel, bar, nightclub, convenience store, parking lot, or public event, they should not have to wonder whether the property owner ignored obvious safety risks. Unfortunately, many shooting accidents and violent assaults occur on properties where the danger was not truly unexpected. Prior police calls, fights, robberies, threats, gang activity, intoxicated crowds, poor lighting, broken gates, and a lack of trained security can all show that a serious criminal act was foreseeable.
A negligent security claim focuses on whether the property owner, business operator, landlord, or event organizer failed to take reasonable steps to protect lawful visitors from foreseeable harm. These cases are not simply about the person who pulled the trigger. They are also about whether the owner of the premises created, ignored, or allowed dangerous conditions that made the shooting more likely to happen.
If you or a loved one was injured in a shooting, assault, robbery, or violent attack on another person’s property, call Testa Law Group for a free consultation with a negligent security lawyer at 877-780-9052.
What Is a Negligent Security Claim?
A negligent security claim is a type of premises liability case. Property owners and businesses do not guarantee that no crime will ever happen. However, when criminal conduct is reasonably foreseeable, they must use reasonable care to reduce the danger. A business that profits from inviting customers onto its property cannot ignore a pattern of violence and then claim surprise when someone gets hurt.
Negligent security may involve many failures, including:
- Failing to hire trained security guards
- Failing to control crowds or remove dangerous patrons
- Poor lighting in parking lots, hallways, stairwells, or entrances
- Broken gates, locks, doors, fences, or access-control systems
- No working video cameras or failure to monitor cameras
- Ignoring prior shootings, assaults, robberies, or police calls
- Failing to warn visitors about known dangers
- Allowing weapons, threats, or fights to go unchecked
- Failing to develop and enforce reasonable safety policies
Foreseeability Matters in Shooting Injury Cases
Many property owners deny responsibility by arguing that a shooting was a sudden criminal act that no one could prevent. In some cases, that may be true. In many others, the evidence tells a different story. Prior violent incidents, repeated disturbances, neighborhood crime, social media promotion of high-risk events, overserving alcohol, or a history of weapons on the premises may show that the property owner knew or should have known that stronger security was needed.
A negligent security lawyer can investigate prior police reports, incident logs, surveillance video, 911 calls, security contracts, employee statements, and maintenance records. This evidence may help prove that the shooting was not a random accident, but the predictable result of unsafe property management.
Damages After a Negligent Security Shooting
Shooting victims may suffer catastrophic injuries, including spinal cord trauma, internal injuries, nerve damage, amputations, brain injuries, disfigurement, and post-traumatic stress. Families may also face funeral expenses and wrongful death claims when a loved one is killed because a business failed to provide reasonable security.
Depending on the facts, a negligent security claim may seek compensation for medical expenses, lost wages, loss of earning capacity, pain and suffering, mental anguish, disfigurement, impairment, and wrongful death damages.
Call a Negligent Security Lawyer Today
Businesses that invite the public onto their property must not ignore foreseeable violence. If you were shot, assaulted, robbed, or injured because of inadequate security, contact Testa Law Group for a free consultation. Call 877-780-9052 to speak with a negligent security lawyer about your rights.
