Page 3 - Florida Sentinel 10-4-16 Online Edition

Local
Complex Pays Family Of Slain Man $1.8 Million
President Obama To Speak At USF On Wednesday
BY IRIS B. HOLTON Sentinel City Editor
The owners of an apart- ment complex have agreed to pay the family of a man killed in 2014 $1.8 million. The set- tlement was approved by the Court.
Attorney Douglas Mc- Carron, of The Haggard Law Firm said his firm and the at- torneys representing Avesta Del Ray Apartment Complex reached an out-of-court settle- ment in July. However, be- cause there are three minor children involved in the case, it had to have the approval of a judge. The judge approved it on September 20, 2016.
“People, especially chil- dren, deserve a safe place to live. Children can’t sleep be- cause of gunshots in the mid- dle of the night,” Attorney McCarron said.
On March 2, 2014,
Damian Lamar Bowie, Sr.,
was visiting friends at the apartment complex at 5013 E. Sligh Avenue, when he was shot and killed.
The lawsuit filed against the complex stated that his death could have been pre-
DAMIAN LAMAR BOWIE, SR. 5/13/1990 --- 3/02/2014
... His family settled the negligent security lawsuit on July 22, 2016
vented if the complex had se- curity. It also stated that staff members had requested secu- rity several times.
Documentation in the law- suit showed that Kerrie Richardson, property man- ager for the complex, sent an email to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office re- questing an off duty police of- ficer (sent six months before the murder) because of the amount of crime.
An additional request by Richardson to property own- ers asking for expanded secu- rity for daytime hours.
“Through the course of our
investigation, which included testimony by the defendant’s property manager, it was clear that the employees at the prop- erty were pleading for more se- curity and consistently telling upper management how peo- ple’s lives were at risk. Instead of acting responsibly, the de- fendant simply turned a blind eye,” Attorney McCarron said.
Bowie, 23, was the father of two sons, Damian, Jr., and Damion. His daughter, Sincere, was born two months after her father’s death.
At the time of the shooting, the Hillsborough County Sher- iff’s Office said Bowie was in the parking lot of the apart- ment complex when a vehicle containing three Black men drove up around 4 p.m.
Witnesses told police Bowie was talking to the driver in the vehicle when the passenger got out. The pas- senger then began beating Bowie with a gun. The gun- man then shot Bowie in the head while he was in a crouch- ing position. After the shoot- ing, the three men fled in the vehicle.
President Barack Obama will address an audience on Wednesday at the University of South Florida. His topic will be the Affordable Healthcare Act.
A spokesman for the White House said, “USF offers a diverse set of train- ing programs for health professionals and has led efforts to sign up peo0ple for health insurance.
A press release said all tickets to the event for the public have already been distributed.
PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA
Seven Days Left To Register To Vote!
BY IRIS B. HOLTON Sentinel City Editor
Individuals who have not registered to vote in the Gen- eral Election on November 8th only have seven days left to register. There are several methods in which prospective voters can choose.
All applications must be completed and returned by Tuesday, October 11, 2016. Prospective voters can visit the Hillsborough County Su- pervisor of Elections Offices, as well as from any of the Hillsborough County Tax Collector’s Offices.
Applications can also be obtained from any of the pub- lic libraries in Hillsborough County, including on Satur- day and Sunday. The com- pleted application can be returned to the same location by the deadline.
This year, a new compo- nent has been added for indi- viduals to register.
Ms. Gerri Kramer,
spokesperson for the Hills- borough County Supervisor of Elections Office said, “If anyone wants to register on- line they can visit our web- site. They can type the information in, but they must print it, sign it, mail it, or
drop it off at any of the loca- tions accepting voter registra- tion applications.”
She further stated that in- dividuals who are already registered and who would like to vote by mail can do so. The first Vote By Mail ballots will be mailed on Tuesday, October 4th.
The ballots will be mailed with postage paid return en- velopes and “I Voted By Mail” stickers. Voters can request another ballot if they make a mistake.
Voters must sign the back of the envelope before return- ing the ballot, which can be mailed or dropped off in per- son at any of the four Hills- borough County Supervisor of Elections offices or 16 Early Vote sites (when they're open). Voters can also track their ballot online.
Voter Updates
Anyone needing to make changes to their voter regis- tration information is en- couraged to do so early to make sure their information is current and correct.
For more information about the upcoming election and voting call (813) 744- 5900; or visit the www.Vote- Hillsborough.org.
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