According to the Houston Chronicle, on June 16th at 3:20 a.m. a man was shot and killed in the rear parking lot of Costa De Sol Restaurant located at 12224 Bissonnet Street. The victim, Cruz Osmar Rubio-Reyes, was in the parking lot of the restaurant when he and another man got into an altercation. During the fight, the other man jumped into a white Jeep Wrangler which was carrying two additional men. Before driving away, the car drove in Rubio-Reyes's direction and shot him numerous times.
The victim was hospitalized at Memorial Hermann Southwest Hospital and died here from his wounds. Authorities have yet to identify and arrest the shooter. If you know any information about the incident please contact the Houston Police Department.
Attorney contributor Anjali Nigam has offered his insight on the legal options available to parking lot shooting victims and their families.
“There are numerous legal options open to victims and their families who were injured or killed due to negligent security on commercial properties such as restaurants, bars, and parking lots. These property owners have a legal duty of maintaining their patrons and employees safety and protecting them from preventable hazards. Every negligence case is different, generally speaking if a parking lot owner fails to provide adequate security and a shooting occurs because of their negligence, then the victims may have grounds for a lawsuit", stated Anjali.
He continued, "In addition, it must be proven that the shooting was reasonably foreseeable. For example, if a parking lot or its surrounding area had a prior history of violent crime, then the shooting may be deemed reasonably foreseeable and the owner may be held liable."
If you or a loved one has been a victim to a parking lot shooting, you can learn more about your legal options by reviewing your case with a crime victim attorney. We encourage you to reach out to Anjali who provided his legal analysis for this story.