Victim Hospitalized After Shooting at Crestmark Apartments

After complaints of residents over violence and poor management, could the owners of Crestmark apartments be liable for a shooting at the property which sent one victim to the hospital?

Police were called to the scene on the afternoon on October 3, after an individual fired shots into a Crestmark apartment building, injuring one. The victim was rushed to the hospital for treatment after the crime, but the identity of the victim and their condition is not known. Officers are investigating the scene, as well as a potential suspect. The identity of the suspect is likewise unknown.

In Georgia, landlords are responsible for taking reasonable measures to prevent foreseeable crimes on their properties. One of the most basic security measures apartment owners can take is to install and maintain a gate at the property, which helps control access to the property and provides an obstacle that would slow a potential criminal’s escape.

According to online reviews, Crestmark Apartments did not have a functioning gate. One resident notes that the community is “not gated very unsafe” as well as pointing out that “a family was murdered last year.”  This is the third shooting at Crestmark Apartments in just over eighteen months. In June, an officer responded to a domestic dispute at the property and, after a suspect pointed a rifle at the police officer, the officer shot him. In March of 2020 a shooting at the property, of which little is still known, resulted in three deaths.

In communities across Georgia, landlords may not be taking the precautions they need to help keep their tenants safe. It is up to the survivors of violent crime and the families of victims to use the civil justice system to hold landlords accountable and to send a message that they must meet their obligations and take reasonable measures to prevent foreseeable crime. In this way, we can help Make Atlanta Safe, one community at a time.