Myrtle Beach restaurant was ‘on notice’ due to crime before 2020 shooting, new suit says
A victim of a Myrtle Beach shooting in 2020 is suing the restaurant where it happened and several of its owners.
On Oct. 12, 2020, gunmen opened fire at Allen’s Food Basket off U.S. 501. Five were injured, and two community leaders were killed — Darius Hemingway and Antonio Woods.
Duo killed in Myrtle Beach was known for charity in Racepath, Kingstree areas
Komonick Sinclair, an Horry County resident, was severely injured in the shooting.
Those being sued by him include Gabriel’s Breakfast Bar & Grill at Allen’s Food Basket, Allen’s Food Basket, Wesley J. Allen, Wesley Allen, Gabe Jackson, Patricia Blanton, James Lewis and Shirley Lewis. All were part owners or managers at the establishment, according to the suit.
Wesley J Allen’s revocable living trust is also named in the filing.
When the Sun News reached out to Allen’s Food Basket, a request for comment was denied. Sinclair’s legal representation, Brooke Wright and Ian Maguire at Maguire Law Firm, did not return a request for comment made by the Sun News on Wednesday morning.
Prior to the shooting, the restaurant was “on notice” that its premises and operation was dangerous, the lawsuit states. It also says that several shootings, murders and crimes had been committed in the area prior to Oct. 12.
The restaurant did not have operating security cameras at the time, according to the suit.
The restaurant was also on notice before the shooting that “it needed to develop written policies, procedures, training methods, codes of conduct, and other methods of training to ensure that its employees were properly trained and capable of providing an atmosphere that was not extremely dangerous, the suit says.
Since the shooting, Sinclair has suffered permanent injuries to his body. Having been bombarded with medical bills, he has suffered financial loss as well.
No one named in the suit has filed a response to the initial filing. More details will become available as the suit moves through court.
After the shooting, Samuel Frye, 24, and Mardave Hunter, 27, had both been charged with two counts of murder, five counts of attempted murder and one count of assault.
They were found not guilty by an Horry County jury in December.
Tyrese Lighty, pleaded guilty to two counts of voluntary manslaughter and was sentenced to 15 years in prison, according to the public index.
Another man, Lonnell Duckett, faced eight counts of accessory after the fact to felony or murder in connection to the killings, but all charges have since been dismissed, according to the public index.
