According to court documents, Christopher Beaugard was discovered in his last moments by a close family member, who found him suffering from a gunshot wound to the face. The details of this tragic incident were reported in an article on Kansas City News.
It has been almost a year since the tragic incident that took place on October 30, 2022, where a fatal shooting occurred at the Canyon Creek Apartments located at East 93rd Street and Bales Ave. in Kansas City. Recently, the mother of the victim has filed a lawsuit against the apartment complex.
According to a lawsuit filed in the Jackson County Circuit Court, Beaugard’s mother, Shelia Brooks, has taken legal action against Canyon Creek Apartments and its property owners and managers. The civil case was filed this month and seeks a minimum of $25,000 in damages due to the injuries sustained by the plaintiffs and wrongful death.
According to the filing, the plaintiffs in the case are Brooks and Victor Weber, who are identified as the “next friend for the minor children.” This term refers to an individual who represents a minor in court for their claim. Beaugard, who was the father of two children under the age of 18 at the time of his death, is the subject of this case, as stated in the court documents.
According to the lawsuit, the defendant is facing two counts of negligence and premises liability. Premises liability refers to the responsibility that property owners have towards individuals on their property. The lawsuit also alleges that the defendant exhibited negligence per se, which is a violation of statutes and regulations, thus breaching their duty of care towards residents.
Unsafe conditions, lack of security
As per the legal complaint, the defendants were already aware of the rampant violence in the apartment complex prior to Beaugard’s tragic murder last October. They were accused of failing to ensure the safety of the premises by not maintaining it properly, neglecting security patrols, and not installing security cameras or outdoor lights that could have provided adequate lighting.
The individuals involved in the case are Landmark Realty, the company responsible for managing Canyon Creek Apartments; Jonathan L. Marcus, the regional manager of Landmark Realty; Robert A. Imhoff, the owner of Canyon Creek and Landmark Realty; and LaJeanna Hurt, the on-site manager of Canyon Creek.
When contacted via telephone on Friday to provide a statement regarding the lawsuit, Nicholas J. Porto, the attorney representing Landmark Realty of Missouri, LLC, stated, “We just received notice of the lawsuit today. We intend to defend the case and have no comment at this time due to the pending litigation.”
According to the lawsuit, the managers of the Canyon Creek Apartments were entrusted with the responsibility of ensuring the safety of tenants and visitors within the premises. Despite this, the suit claims that there were several instances where residents and visitors had raised concerns about the unsafe conditions and inadequate security measures in the complex. These complaints were allegedly brought to the attention of the apartment complex management prior to the incident.
According to the lawsuit, data obtained from the Kansas City Police Department reveals that the apartment complex has been a site of 152 violent crimes from 2017 to 2022. These incidents include murders, sexual assaults, aggravated assaults, and robberies. Additionally, at least 235 property crimes have been reported, such as stolen automobiles, theft from vehicles, and burglaries from apartments.
According to the lawsuit filed in October, it is believed that Beaugard’s death could have been prevented, along with other criminal activity.
According to the lawsuit, the defendants had the knowledge or the ability to obtain knowledge about all the crimes that were committed. They had ample time to implement reasonable security measures that would have prevented and discouraged any future criminal activities.
According to the statutes in Missouri, it is the duty of a business to protect against criminal activities if they are aware or have a reason to believe that such acts are being committed or are likely to be committed in a specific area of their premises. Moreover, if the business has sufficient time, they must take appropriate measures to prevent such crimes or any harm caused by them.
According to the lawsuit, since Beaugard was a resident of Canyon Creek Apartments, the defendants had a responsibility to ensure his safety and protect him from any criminal acts committed by third parties.
A jury trial has been requested by the plaintiffs.
