According to El Paso Times, a shooting took place on August 25, 2021, around 8 p.m. at Coconuts Wing Cantina located at 10750 N Loop Dr #1a, Socorro, TX 79927.
At approximately 8:36 p.m., Socorro Police Department officers responded to a call at the bar. As they arrived, several of the bar patrons were running out of the bar. Inside, they found one victim with a gunshot wound to the leg who was transported to the Del Sol Medical Center. They also found another victim fatally shot in the head.
Witnesses told officers at the bar that an argument had broken out between the men. They went on to explain how 43-year-old Neftali Maymi Martinez had allegedly threatened to return to shoot the victims. Martinez was arrested while the investigation continues.
Attorney contributor, Anjali Nigam, is an experienced attorney that represents victims of violent crimes. Anjali has shared some of his knowledge on the rights of shooting victims and their families.
"Commercial property owners, such as bar owners, have a legal responsibility to provide a safe environment for their patrons and employees. To their best ability, they should protect their property and those within it. Owners can achieve this by implementing security measures, such as security guards, cameras, and sufficient lighting throughout the property. An owner can be held liable in a civil lawsuit if a customer gets injured on a bar's premises."
"In violent crimes, such as shootings, if a court finds a crime to be reasonably foreseeable, the owner of the bar can be held responsible. One example of a foreseeable crime would be if crime rates continually rise in the area, but the owner does not increase safety measures on the property. When this happens, the bar owners can be considered negligent. In cases of neglect, the victims or their families should know that they may have grounds for a civil lawsuit with a chance to receive compensation for damages."