Students Spot Armed Man at Columbus State
Columbus State University reopened all of its buildings on August 31 after reports of an armed intruder caused authorities to close a section of the campus, ABC News reports. The university closed for several hours after students reported seeing a man in a stocking cap with a gun in one of the student residential complexes. Police closed the building for several hours as they went door to door to secure the complex. The college reopened after police concluded that the suspect had left the area of the campus and issued an all-clear.
Police Locked Down Dormitory
The calls reporting the presence of the armed man originated at Clearview Hall, the residential complex that houses first-year students, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. Law enforcement authorities asked students who lived in the dorm to shelter in place and prevented any additional people from entering the building. The university administration and police did not lock down any other parts of the campus. The university police took the lead and received assistance from other local agencies.
Georgia Law Holds Property Owners Liable for Violent Crime
In Georgia, property owners are responsible for taking reasonable precautions to prevent injuries to their customers and guests. This includes universities, who must take reasonable care to make sure that their students don’t suffer injuries. The responsibility of property owners toward people who visit and live on their property includes the duty to take reasonable steps to prevent violent crime.
If a property owner knows about the possibility of a violent crime happening on their property (for example, they know of crimes happening in the area), then the law gives them a duty to do what they reasonably can to prevent such a crime happening on their premises. What steps are reasonable depends on the kind of property. For a university, a variety of security measures are standard, including putting in place alarms, installing surveillance cameras, and hiring security guards. State universities are part of the state government, and so they have immunity from some kinds of lawsuits. But courts in Georgia have allowed lawsuits against universities for negligent security in the past where the injured person argued that the university was violating standard procedures for maintaining security.
Columbus State Had a Duty to Secure the Campus
Would the university be liable for injuries that occurred if a campus shooter injured or killed one or more of their students? In general, the university has a duty to do what they can to prevent injuries to their students from violent crime. Even if the university is not aware of other crimes in the area, they are still aware of the possibility of a campus shooter, since a number of universities nationwide have experienced similar problems. Reasonable precautions might include employing security personnel and putting in place a response plan for the event of an active shooter. It appears that Columbus State behaved reasonably in this situation, and probably would not face liability if an injury occurred.
Get Legal Representation
If you suffer an injury on the property of a business, they may have a duty to compensate you for your losses. To find out more about your options, talk to an experienced premises liability lawyer at Williams Elleby Howard & Easter in Cobb County today.
