The family of a 19-year-old killed in a shooting near the RaceTrac gas station adjacent to the Georgia State University campus has filed a lawsuit against multiple parties.
The lawsuit, which is seeking unspecified damages, was filed against RaceTrac and the owners of The Mix student apartment complex next door to the gas station. The family is being represented by Stewart Miller Simmons Trial Attorneys, according to a press release.
De’Asia Hart, who was the mother of a 1-year-old daughter, was fatally shot near the RaceTrac at 120 Piedmont Ave. on Oct. 29, 2023. She was an innocent bystander caught between two groups in a dispute that led to an exchange of gunfire, according to police. Four others were wounded, including two GSU students.
The lawsuit alleges that RaceTrac and The Mix were negligent in Hart’s death since the properties have “a documented history of shootings, assaults, robberies and other violent person-on-person crimes.”
RaceTrac permanently closed the Piedmont Avenue location on Monday after another fatal shooting occurred there on Sunday afternoon. Police are still looking for a suspect in the fatal shooting of Javare Shakir-Fulford, 21.
After the lawsuit was announced, RaceTrac released this statement:
Although the incident did not occur on RaceTrac property, we share the community’s profound dismay over this senseless tragedy. Like numerous Atlanta-based businesses, we are deeply concerned about public safety, vehemently condemning any acts of violence in our neighborhoods. At this time, it would be inappropriate for us to comment on pending litigation.
A GSU student was shot and killed in December 2022 in the vicinity of the now-shuttered RaceTrac. In December 2023, a person was shot to death and another wounded after a fight led to gunfire near the RaceTrac.