Family suing Sunoco, alleging Columbus gas station did not protect son killed there

Jordan Laird, Columbus Dispatch
·2 min read
Andrew Combs, 21, of Columbus' Milo-Grogan neighborhood, right, was expecting a baby boy with his girlfriend Victoria Perez, left, when Combs died on Dec. 13, 2022 in an attempted robbery at a Sunoco gas station in Columbus' Hilltop neighborhood.
Andrew Combs, 21, of Columbus' Milo-Grogan neighborhood, right, was expecting a baby boy with his girlfriend Victoria Perez, left, when Combs died on Dec. 13, 2022 in an attempted robbery at a Sunoco gas station in Columbus' Hilltop neighborhood.

The family of Andrew Combs has filed a lawsuit against Sunoco for damages a year after the 21-year-old man was killed in December 2022 during an attempted robbery at a Columbus gas station.

The family alleges in the civil lawsuit filed Wednesday in Franklin County Common Pleas Court that the Sunoco gas station at 2725 W. Broad St. in the city's Hilltop neighborhood failed to take appropriate precautions to protect customers like Combs, who was a resident of the Milo-Grogan neighborhood of Columbus.

According to the lawsuit, Combs and his pregnant girlfriend, Victoria Perez, went to the gas station just before midnight on Dec. 13, 2022, after finishing up Christmas shopping.

The couple didn't realize that at least three masked individuals were inside the convenience store part of the gas station, where the court filing states that masked individuals shot Combs at least four times and fled the scene.

Two teens, 16-year-old Dreyton Johnson and 17-year-old William Armstead Jr., have been charged with delinquency counts of murder in Franklin County Juvenile Court for Combs' death, and their cases remain pending.

Columbus attorney Rex Elliott and his law firm, Cooper Elliott, announced Tuesday they would file the lawsuit against Sunoco on Wednesday, the first anniversary of Combs' death.

The lawsuit alleges the gas station had a history of violent crime, and shortly before Combs was killed the Columbus City Council cited crime in lodging an objection to the gas station's liquor license with the Ohio Liquor Control Commission.

The lawsuit alleges that the gas station failed to prevent foreseeable harm by implementing security measures in the wake of prior crime there, such as surveillance cameras, additional lighting, and on-site security personnel.

A spokesperson for Sunoco LP did not return an email from The Dispatch requesting comment.

jlaird@dispatch.com

@LairdWrites

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Family says Sunoco didn't protect son killed at Columbus gas station