The Law Offices of John L. Burris, an Oakland-based civil rights firm, has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Jay Wayne Jenkins, better known as rapper Young Jeezy, in connection with the fatal shooting of event promoter Eric Johnson Jr. following a 2014 concert at the Shoreline Ampitheatre in Mountain View, California.
Jenkins was scheduled to appear at a San Jose nightclub following his Aug. 22, 2014 concert performance as part of his tour agreement and had already received partial payment for the appearance. Following a physical altercation between the two men’s entourages, Johnson was shot and killed in his car in the backstage area of the theater.
Backstage workers witnessed the shooting; one identified Jenkins as the shooter and the other helped police create a composite sketch that the suit alleges looks “eerily similar to the way Young Jeezy looked on the night of the incident.” No criminal charges have ever been made.
“Young Jeezy crossed the line when he tried to live out his rap life fantasies causing Mr. Johnson’s death, thereby sentencing his three children to live their lives without their father while Young Jeezy tours, makes music and flaunts his lifestyle and time spent with his kids for the world to see,” said Adante Pointer, an attorney with the Law Offices of John L. Burris.
Live Nation Worldwide Inc., the organizer of the event, was also named as a defendant in the suit for allegedly not providing adequate security that would’ve prevented the shooting.
John L. Burris will be featured in Northern California’s Leading Lawyers. More information about the lawsuit can be found on his firm’s website.