Lawsuit accuses embattled Gastonia bar owner of negligence
Two police officers who were shot while working as security guards at a Gastonia bar have filed a lawsuit accusing the owner of the business of negligence.
In the lawsuit filed Sept. 18, Officers Eric Charles Nelson and Michael A. Lewis argue that the owner of Remedies Restaurant, Bar and Lounge, 47-year-old Alisa Dawn Edwards of Charlotte, operated a business that was the site of hundreds of crimes over the course of several years. Lewis, Nelson and Edwards could not be reached for comment.
From Nov. 13, 2017 to Nov. 13, 2020, there were 326 calls for police for incidents at Remedies, including crimes of assault, drug violations, drunk driving, shootings and more, according to the lawsuit.
Remedies presented itself as a restaurant and bar, but operated more like a nightclub, hiring DJs, having VIP areas and hosting large gatherings, the lawsuit stated.
Nelson and Lewis were off-duty police officers working as security guards for Remedies on the night they were both shot. On Nov. 12, 2020, Remedies hosted an open mic night, and a person police identified as a gang member performed, the lawsuit states.
That night, an off-the-clock and intoxicated Remedies employee, Keith Santana, punched a patron, sparking a brawl involving 20-30 people that Nelson and Lewis tried to stop, the lawsuit stated.
During the fight, both officers were shot. Lewis suffered multiple gunshot wounds in his right lower leg and his mid-upper back. While his bulletproof vest protected him from being shot in the back, he underwent emergency surgery the night he was shot for multiple fractures in his leg.
Lewis was in physical therapy for a year after the shooting, and he was unable to work as a police officer for 11 months, the lawsuit says. In October 2021, he returned to Gastonia Police Department in a "light duty desk position," eventually returning fully to his job in March of 2022.
Lewis has severe permanent physical and psychological injuries from the shooting, according to the lawsuit.
Nelson underwent three separate surgeries for the gunshot wound to his left foot, and he also suffered permanent injuries from the shooting that required extensive treatment and painful physical therapy, according to the lawsuit. He also has psychological injuries related to the shooting, as he and Lewis were "significantly outnumbered by a hostile crowd" after Santana started the fight, the lawsuit stated.
Four other people — Laquan Shawn Keech, of Kannapolis, Ralchael Williams, of Charlotte, Anthony Davis, of Grover and Jaerel Campbell, of Concord — were also shot during the fight. Their injuries were not life threatening.
The North Carolina Alcohol Beverage Control Commission suspended Remedies' alcohol sales permits after the shooting, and the bar's owner, Edwards, was charged with failure to superintend and knowingly allowing violations of ABC law to occur.
She pleaded no contest and was convicted on those charges, according to court records.
Alonzo Lewis Hamilton, 30, and Allen Slaughter, 29, both of Charlotte, were charged with six felony counts of assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill inflicting serious injury. Their cases await trial.
This article originally appeared on The Gaston Gazette: Lawsuit accuses embattled Gastonia bar owner of negligence
