Violent incidents between gang members and other extremely dangerous people have plagued the popular Safeway shopping center in Seattle’s Rainier Beach neighborhood for years.   

Safeway and the property owners know they have a legal obligation to protect people in the store or parking lot, and to take whatever actions necessary to head off violence.  First and foremost is keeping or kicking out the dangerous people who regularly gathered there to hang out, make drug deals, and other illegal activity,  They’ve ignored that duty with deadly consequences. 

Management of the store and property did the bare minimum only after years of incidents – settling for token, untrained and unskilled uniformed security guards stationed inside the store.  Neighborhood residents Christopher Wilson Jr. and another man are dead because of defendants’ ambivalence and failure to do their job. 

THE MURDER – CHRISTOPHER WILSON JR. SHOT DEAD – MAY 2020

We filed suit on behalf of the family of Christopher Wilson Jr., the victim of a 2020 murder that could have been prevented if Safeway and Allied Security had done what the law required them to do.  We worked tirelessly for several years to build an indisputable case that clearly demonstrated the negligence of  Safeway, Allied Security and Washington State. That despite a fierce legal battle spanning several years, with the defendants choosing to fight as the case went to trial.  But after just a few days in court, they clearly recognized they’d lose and the defendants instead agreed to pay a $17 million settlement. 

While Safeway and the property owners failed to protect the public – and the state failed to properly supervise the shooter despite its responsibility to do so – we also uncovered disturbing misrepresentations and incompetence by Allied Security.  The company’s sales and marketing portrayed a well-trained and highly skilled security force capable of protecting people and places they were deployed. We demonstrated instead that Allied knowingly hired and placed untrained and unqualified so-called “security guards” incapable of dealing with dangerous and violent situations like the regular occurrences at the center.  It was like the movie Paul Blart – Mall Cop.

As a public service and comprehensive review of the exhaustive investigation and legal work by me and my team, we have produced this web page.   It includes the original lawsuit detailing the case, a curated selection of key documents, a complex recreation of the timeline of events and more.  It culminates with a video of my partner Alex Dietz and I discussing key issues, the litigation, and our analysis of this complex and vitally important case.   We hope sharing it provides valuable information and provides a window into the complexities of our specialized civil litigation, and what it ultimately takes to bring a $17 million settlement for our clients.