Man seriously injured in Deep Ellum shooting sues bar, cites lax security measures

A security guard who was working at a Deep Ellum bar when he was shot and seriously injured by stray gunfire is suing the bar, saying the owners should have taken more precautions to ensure his safety.

Cameron Cooper was working at The Free Man Cajun Cafe & Lounge on Super Bowl Sunday Feb. 12 , when two men allegedly shot at each other outside the bar.

Bullets pierced the window — two of them striking Cooper, and another grazing someone else inside the bar. Cooper, who was hit in the leg and stomach, spent time on a ventilator at Baylor University Medical Center at Dallas.

“He’s going to have a lifetime of pain and problems,” his lawyer, Quentin Brogdon, said Tuesday.

Brogdon said at least one of the shooters was inside The Free Man. The shooting took place shortly after the alleged shooter left, meaning a gun was likely carried into the bar, Brogdon said. He added members of the club’s security staff had repeatedly requested more stringent screening measures for patrons, including pat-downs and metal detectors.

Representatives for The Free Man did not immediately return an email seeking comment Tuesday.

Two people were arrested in relation to the shooting. Donnel Davis was arrested Feb. 24 on two charges of deadly conduct with a firearm and one charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Korbin Smith was arrested March 15 on charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and unlawful possession of a firearm.

Even though the shooting took place outside of The Free Man, Brogdon and the lawsuit said the venue’s owners should have known about “numerous, highly-publicized violent crimes” that have taken place inside or near Deep Ellum bars late at night, and should have taken precautions to prevent violence near their bar.

Cooper’s lawsuit comes weeks after another lawsuit was filed against a different Deep Ellum bar in relation to a separate, fatal shooting.

Earlier this month, the family of a woman fatally struck by stray gunfire inside Bitter End sued the bar, saying they also should have had more strict security measures in place. Similar to the shooting that injured Cooper, that woman was an innocent bystander inside the bar, and was struck by gunfire not intended for her.

No arrests have been made in the Bitter End shooting.