Wrongful death lawsuit filed against Marion County gas station owners and manager

More than a year after a young man was shot and killed in a gas station parking lot, the victim's family has filed a lawsuit against the service station's owners and an operations manager.

Plaintiff's attorney Orlando Sheppard of Burns Sheppard Favors, PLLC in Orlando is asking for damages in excess of $30,000 and a jury trial. The lawsuit is being pursued under the Florida Wrongful Death Act. The defendants are Keven Wiley, PFJ Southeast LLC, and Pilot Travel Centers LLC D/B/A Pilot Travel Centers LLC #293.

The plaintiff is Metria Leo Willis, who's the personal representative of the estate of her 21-year-old son Zion Willis, who died outside the Pilot Travel Center, located on County Road 484 just west of Interstate 75 on May 2, 2021.

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About Zion Willis' death

Marion County Sheriff's Office deputies said sometime after 2 a.m. on May 2, 2021, they were called to the gas station about a shooting. Deputies said when they arrived, they encountered a large group of people.

Through their investigation, they were told that shots were fired and Willis was hit. A woman, Kwashonda Pierson, was also injured. She survived her injuries.

There was some type of argument before the gunshots, officials said.

Prosecutors from the State Attorney's Office reviewed the case and concluded there were two shooters who would have a valid claim of self-defense. Lawyers could not say for certain who fired the shot that took Willis' life. To date no one has been arrested for the fatal shooting.

Allegations against Keven Wiley

Of the three claims mentioned in the lawsuit, two are for negligence, one against Wiley the other against PFJ Southeast LLC. The third claim is for negligent security against Pilot Travel Centers LLC D/B/A/ Pilot Travel Centers LLC #293.

The lawsuit states Wiley, identified as a senior operations manager, should've known there had been numerous violent criminal acts against "invitees on the premises" before May 2, 2021.

The lawsuit provided more than a dozen security failures at the establishment. Among them: "Failing to warn, protect, guard, deter, and otherwise provide adequate protection for invitees," "Failing to have enough surveillance cameras throughout the premises," and "Failing to implement adequate security policies, security measures, and security procedures necessary to protect invitees."

"The Estate of ZION WILLIS has suffered and will continue to suffer damages into the future," according to the lawsuit.

PFJ SOUTHEAST LLC

The eight-page lawsuit said PFJ SOUTHEAST LLC should've known that "their premises and areas adjacent thereto were in a high crime area, that there had been numerous criminal acts and attacks perpetrated on tenants and/or invitees in said areas, and that criminal acts and attacks were reasonably likely to be perpetrated on the Defendant's invitees unless the Defendant took steps to provide proper security for such individuals."

Similar to Wiley, the lawsuit lists what the plaintiff sees as numerous careless, negligent and omissions that contributed to Willis' death.

Some of the examples include: "Failing to provide a reasonably safe structural layout of the property upon leasing said property," "Failing to hire and/or retain security personnel to patrol and/or monitor the premises, thereby protecting its invitees," and "Failing to warn its invitees of the nature and character of its premises when it knew or in the exercise of reasonable care should have known that numerous criminal incidents of a similar nature to the one herein(i.e., crimes against persons) had occurred on the Defendant's premises and areas adjacent thereto prior to the subject incident."

PILOT TRAVEL CENTERS LLC D/B/A PILOT TRAVEL CENTERS LLC #293

Just like the above two mentioned in the lawsuit, the plaintiff alleges negligence against Pilot Travel Centers LLC D/B/A Pilot Travel Centers LLC #293.

More than a dozen examples of alleged neglect were listed. Among them: "negligently exposed Plaintiff to a foreseeable and unreasonable risk of harm or shooting," "negligently failed to control and adequately supervise the premises" and "negligently failed to investigate and act accordingly during the date of incident and monitor Plaintiff's assailant on the subject premises."

Contact Austin L. Miller at 867-4118, austin.miller@starbanner.com or @almillerosb

This article originally appeared on Ocala Star-Banner: Ocala, Florida gas station sued after man, 21, fatally shot