Two lawsuits have been filed in Shelby County Circuit Court, seeking a jury trial for personal injury against the Oakwood Subdivision Homeowners, relating to the May 27 shooting at the Oakwood Clubhouse.
Plaintiffs Jessica Hill and her minor son and Tracey Smith and her minor son filed the suits June 29 although court records show a July 2 file date. It was initially rejected June 29 because of a spelling error. They are represented by Christopher S. Campbell and Sara Garner with the Harris Shelton Law Firm.
The case for Ms. Hill is to be heard in the court of Judge Robert S. Weiss. Judge Rhynette Hurd will hear the case for Ms. Smith.Link to the court dockets:
Attorney Jeff Land is said to represent the third parent, Cran Green, with a lawsuit filed on their behalf in the near future, said Ms. Garner. Minors’ names are not listed on any of the lawsuit documents.
Defendants listed in both filings are the Oakwood HOA Inc., Oakwood Joint Ventures, NFC Ventures, Catrina Stitt-Warren, Rodney Warren, Karl Williams, Shuntae Williams, Keith Acton, Don Bomar, Phillip Farmer, Jennifer Gick, Jamie Mitchell and Darin Hampton.
The two victims were both 16 years old at the time of the shooting but one has turned 17 since the incident. The two minors Mr. Campbell represents go to White Station High School. He said the minors are no way remotely in a gang. He added he cannot disparage any other child to say he/she is a gang member. He believes the honoree attends Germantown High School but said he was not positive.
Ms. Garner said, “Other than the names listed in the complaint, we are unable to release additional names at this time, out of respect for their privacy and for the safety of the children and their families. The suspects are still at large, and the children are dealing with a great deal of physical and emotional pain and healing right now.”
The two shooting victims represented by the Harris Shelton law firm did not go to school with the birthday girl, said Ms. Garner. “Based upon the information Ms. Hill had prior to the party, she believed her son and his friends were going to a safe environment. The victims do know each other, some better than others.” She said all of the victims did not arrive at the party together.
With rumors circulating that 1,000 youth attended the party, Ms. Garner said there is no evidence to support that statement. “However we also do not have any evidence to discredit the statement either. At this time we do believe there were a large number of attendees.”
Ms. Hill did not know Ms. Warren, nor did she know Ms. Warren was in fact the person who arranged for the party to take place at the Clubhouse, said Ms. Garner. Mr. Campbell does not believe Ms. Warren attended the party but said he would wait for details from discovery.
The flyer, shown below, advertised a LIT 16 birthday bash. Faces and names were redacted from the flyer.
Mr. Campbell said his clients do not know the shooters. “My client was shot in the back while sitting in the car, getting out to go to the party.”
He believes there are three entities responsible for the shooting: the Oakwood HOA, the resident who rented the facility for the party and the family who hosted the party.
“It was a combination of all their behaviors that led to this (the shooting),” he said. “There were no checks and balances. All three (entities) allowed it to happen.”
He said what happened is consistent with opening a party up for everyone in a city to come.
Mr. Campbell echoed what he believes Mayor Wyatt Bunker of Lakeland said after the shooting. “If you knew you needed a bouncer and enforcer, that should tell you about the event. Somebody was anticipating issues,” said Mr. Campbell.
Mr. Campbell said there was a lot of social media chatter following the event, including 59 comments on the Oakwood HOA Facebook page.
For monetary damages, Mr. Campbell said Ms. Hill is asking for well in excess of $2 million. “There is a cap on pain and suffering but not on economic damage,” he said.
Asked about SCSO and their investigation, Mr. Campbell said they will keep looking and something will turn up. They are playing their cards close to the vest. I have every confidence they are doing their job.”
The shooting took place late evening May 27 when uninvited guests showed up at a Sweet Sixteen birthday party and were denied admission to the Clubhouse by relatives of the guest of honor.
Three male juveniles were shot during the party at the Oakwood Clubhouse, 10133 Matwood Oak Dr. in Lakeland, according to the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office (SCSO).
Earle Farrell, public information officer for SCSO, said a fourth victim from the party was injured from falling while trying to get away from the shooting. He said that victim was taken by private vehicle to an area hospital. The other three students injured were transported to the Regional Medical Center and have since been released.
The Oakwood resident who rented the Clubhouse for the party filed an intimidation threat report with the SCSO, according to Mr. Farrell, alleging posts on the Oakwood HOA Facebook page bulled and intimidated her after the shooting.
On June 14, Lakeland Commissioners and the Mayor approved a resolution to contribute $4,000 from the City toward a reward fund in finding suspects responsible for the May 27 shooting. CrimeStoppers is offering $1,000 equaling a total reward of $5,000.
An attempt was made to defendants, with no comments received.
