Justice for Chiemere Poole, Gun Violence at Forest Cove Apartments

With two gun-related homicides in just one month, could the owners of Forest Cove Apartments be held liable for failing to help prevent crime on their property?

Chiemere Poole was found dead inside in a Forest Cove apartment after sustaining multiple gunshot wounds on August 21, 2021. Police say the shooting was the result of an argument that left one woman dead and two others injured. “My sister is a good person. She works hard. She takes care of her children,” Lashunda Hicks told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “She is a single mother.”

Less than a month earlier, Jaquan Montgomery was shot dead at the very same apartment community. If the owners and managers at Forest Cove Apartments are aware of the violent crime happening on their property, they have a legal responsibility to take reasonable measures to deter it.

Online reviews complain of dangerous conditions at Forest Cove Apartments. Deidre Moody writes, “it was unsafe to live in the complex. Jocelyn Taylor posts that “FedEx and UPS won’t deliver here,” suggesting the freight carriers find the property too dangerous to send their drivers. If the delivery services can anticipate potential violent crime at Forest Cove, there is no excuse for the property owners and managers.

Georgia law says that when property managers can be held liable for violent crime that occurs on their property when they fail to make reasonable efforts to protect their residents and guests from foreseeable risks. It is up to the families of victims of violent crime to stand up to property owners and demand accountability in a court of law. If we can compel landlords to improve security on their properties, then we can help Make Atlanta Safe, one community at a time.