$7.5 Million Verdict Against Owner of Gainesville Car Wash Following Fatal Shooting: Lawsuit Claims Negligence in High-Crime Area

Gainesville, Florida – A jury in Alachua County has delivered a verdict of $7.5 million against the owner of Swamp Car Wash, where a 24-year-old man was shot and killed in May 2021. The lawsuit was filed in March 2022 against Kokomo Key Properties Inc., the company doing business as Swamp Car Wash. The victim, Bobby Hopkins, called 911 to report being shot in the chest, but tragically succumbed to his injuries at UF Health Shands Hospital. The lawsuit, brought by Lonetta Carter on behalf of Hopkins’ two minor children, argued that Swamp Car Wash … Read more

Alachua County Jury Awards $7.5 Million to Family of Bobby Hopkins Jr., Victim of Fatal Shooting at Local Car Wash

Gainesville, Florida – An Alachua County jury has awarded $7.5 million to the family of Bobby Hopkins Jr., who was fatally shot at the Swamp Car Wash in May 2021. The verdict was reached on Wednesday. The Hopkins family filed a lawsuit against the car wash in 2022, claiming that the owners should have implemented better customer protection measures due to the presence of violence in the surrounding neighborhood. The lawsuit argued that the car wash should have installed security cameras, a fence, and a gate to safeguard customers from criminal activity. However, Kokomo Key … Read more