O'Fallon, Illinois - Man Wounded in Shooting in St. Clair Bowling Alley Bar

Suspect Arrested in St. Clair Bowl Shooting

The O’Fallon Police Department has arrested a suspect in a shooting at St. Clair Bowl on Wednesday night. Officers responded to the bowling alley on the 500 block of Collinsville Road at about 10:48 p.m. on Wednesday for reports of shots fired.

Police now say that the victim was inside of the bowling alley’s bar when someone shot him. The victim was taken to a nearby hospital with non-life-threatening injuries and is expected to survive.

Officers found the gunman shortly following the shooting and took him into custody in Columbia, Illinois.

Are Business Owners Liable For Shootings on Their Properties?

Attorney contributor Brian Kent is a former criminal prosecutor who now represents crime victims in civil court. We’ve asked him to discuss business owner liability for shootings and for those wondering if they can sue for being shot among other violent incidents:

Business owners and all other property owners have a legal duty to make sure their properties are safe from preventable dangers. These rules help protect customers, workers, and the community surrounding the business. In some cases, shootings and other violent acts at businesses occur due to a failure to meet this legal duty. In such cases, the victims and their families may have grounds for a lawsuit.

In order for a business to be held liable for a shooting, legal counsel must prove that the incident was reasonably foreseeable. For example, a bar owner might be considered liable for a shooting on their property if there had been a history of violent incidents there but no safety measures had been taken to reduce the risk of future incidents – such as hiring security guards and searching customers for weapons.

If you or a loved one has been injured or killed in a shooting, stabbing, or another violent incident at a business, you can learn more about your legal options by speaking to an experienced crime victim attorney.