Georgia rap fans may recall the 2014 shooting that happened at a concert that was headlined by Jeezy and Wiz Khalifa in 2014. In the incident, a concert promoter died after he was shot backstage at the concert. The concert promoter’s family has filed a lawsuit against Jeezy for wrongful death.
According to the complaint, the plaintiffs are alleging that Jeezy was the person who pulled the trigger. They claim that an eyewitness stated that the rapper was the shooter and that the witness selected his picture out of a photo lineup. Jeezy has never been criminally charged for the shooting and has told the media that he had nothing to do with it.
The family also reports that another eyewitness provided information to a police sketch artist which resulted in a picture that was very similar to the way that Jeezy looked on the night of the shooting. The plaintiffs are seeking damages, including reasonable funeral and burial experiences for their loved one.
In some murder cases, the perpetrators may not be criminally charged if the police do not believe that they have enough evidence to prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt. Even if people are not criminally charged, the families of the victims may file wrongful death civil lawsuits against them. Wrongful death cases are civil matters and have lower burdens of proof. Attorneys may be able to hold the defendants accountable for their actions while also recovering damages to compensate their clients for the losses that they have suffered because of the deaths of their loved ones. If criminal charges are filed, the law allows plaintiffs to file simultaneous civil claims so that they can seek the recovery of damages.
Source: XXL Mag, “Jeezy sued for wrongful death by family of concert promoter killed at 2014 concert,” Lindsey India, April 21, 2017