A general view of the exterior of 810 Billiards & Bowling on November 2, 2022, in Houston, Texas. | Source: Marcus Ingram / Getty
A bystander who was hit by gunfire when Grammy nominated Migos rapper Takeoff was shot to death last year in Houston has sued the venue where the shooting took place last Halloween.
Joshua “Wash” Washington, who was working as the personal assistant for rapper Quavo at the time of the shooting, filed the lawsuit on Wednesday alleging that lax security at the bowling alley and pool room where the shooting took place enabled the shooting. A lack of emergency assistance was also cited in the lawsuit.
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The lawsuit
Washington, who was 23 years old at the time of the shooting, claimed that the security presence at 810 Billiards & Bowling was nonexistent once the shooting began.
“There was no one,” Washington, who was shot in his right side nearly hitting his colon, said in a press release emailed to NewsOne. “The bullets started flying and no one came to help. There were no security guards trying to stop the shooting, no one to help those of us who were hurt, no one at all. They just left us there to die.”
The shooting was “preventable,” said civil rights attorney Bakari Sellers, who is co-counsel in the lawsuit.
“810 Houston was warned that they needed extra security. They knew it was a hotspot for violent crime and that an after hours event like this could turn deadly in a second. But they ignored those warnings and now they have blood on their hands,” Sellers said. “This shooting was a tragedy. But it was a preventable tragedy.”
Audia Jones, another lawyer representing Washington, specifically called out 810 Billiards & Bowling’s security processes.
“They had no properly trained security personnel, adequate signage, lighting or cameras. They had no screening to keep out weapons. They didn’t even have a working metal detector,” Jones said. “This was a powder keg of their own making and folks like Takeoff and Joshua Washington got caught in the explosion.”
Washington was one of three people shot, including Takeoff, 28. The other victim was identified as a 24-year-old woman who suffered unspecified non-life-threatening injuries.
An image of the late Takeoff is projected while Quavo (4th R) and Maverick City Music perform onstage during the 65th GRAMMY Awards at Crypto.com Arena on February 5, 2023, in Los Angeles, California. | Source: Kevin Winter / Getty
Read Washington’s full lawsuit by clicking here.
Washington’s lawsuit came about two months after Takeoff’s mother similarly sued 810 Billiards & Bowling and accusing it of “failing to exercise ordinary care to keep the premises safe.”
What happened?
About 40 to 50 people were in attendance at the private party in downtown Houston to celebrate Halloween.
A video of the shooting was subsequently posted to social media showing people standing around Takeoff, who was lying on the ground. At the 15-second mark, Quavo can be heard grieving over the lifeless body.
About a month later, Houston police arrested 33-year-old Patrick Xavier Brown and charged him with murder.
Brown was taken into custody at a residence on the east side of Houston, making him the second arrest in the case. Twenty-two-year-old Cameron Joshua was also arrested in connection with the shooting for possessing a weapon. However, authorities were clear that Joshua isn’t accused of firing the fatal shot.
Takeoff’s funeral was held in Atlanta a little more than one week after the shooting. Takeoff’s childhood pastor Rev. Jesse Curney officiated the heavily attended public memorial at State Farm Arena, a venue that can hold more than 20,000 people.
A Celebration of Life for Takeoff of Migos was held at State Farm Arena on November 11, 2022, in Atlanta, Georgia. | Source: Derek White / Getty
Who was Takeoff?
Takeoff, whose real name is Kirshnik Khari Ball, was born on June 18, 1994, in Lawrenceville, Georgia. In 2008, Ball’s uncle Quavo and first cousin Offset started the rap group Migos. The group would go on to be one of the most successful Hip-Hop groups of all time. Takeoff was known as the laid-back member of the group who rarely got involved in drama. He did not actively post about his personal life on social media and was a pretty private person. His chill persona made him the favorite Migos for many fans.
SEE ALSO:
Takeoff’s Killing Sparks Estate Battle Over Slain Rapper’s $26 Million Fortune
Rapper Takeoff’s Shooting Death Spotlights Loose Gun Laws In Texas Where ‘Everybody Is Armed’
