![shooting at Aiken Motel January 20, 2025]()
Another Shooting Death in the Area
A deadly shooting at an Aiken motel early in the morning of Monday, January 20, 2025 has reportedly claimed the life of a young woman: 25-year-old Nyasia Dowling. The incident occurred around 4:30 a.m. at the American Hearth Inn on Richland Avenue West in Aiken, South Carolina. According to local news, Ms. Dowling was found deceased in a motel room early that morning, and she had at least one gunshot wound.
Sources report that there was a witness that worked next to the motel who stated that there was a child that may have been present during the incident. This tragedy marks at least the seventh homicide in the region just three weeks into 2025.
Negligent Security and Hotel Liability in South Carolina
Under South Carolina premises liability law, hotels and motels have a duty of care to protect guests from foreseeable criminal acts. As innkeepers, these properties must take reasonable steps to ensure guest safety, and when they don’t, they can be held liable for negligently failing to uphold their duty to their guests. In other words, victims and their families may be entitled to compensation under South Carolina law if they or their loved ones are violently attacked on the property.
The goal here is to make our communities safer. When a hotel or motel allows crime on the property and doesn’t take steps to secure the property, it makes our communities more dangerous. It also lowers the value of properties in the area, which makes sense. Who wants to live near a hotel where people are getting shot? Ultimately, dangerous business properties cause problems in the communities they sit in, and so the law allows folks to hold them liable in certain circumstances.
South Carolina Security Requirements for Hotels
South Carolina law requires hotels and motels to maintain reasonable security measures to protect guests. What’s “reasonable” will depend on the amount of crime in the area or on the property. Again, this is common sense. A hotel with a lot of violent crime in the area or a history of crime on the property should probably have more security. Some of the more common issues of security at a hotel or motel in South Carolina include:
- Adequate lighting in all guest areas and parking lots
- Properly functioning door locks and window security
- Clear visibility in common areas and corridors
- Security cameras in strategic locations
- Staff training on emergency procedures
- Proper guest screening and some kind of access control
Establishing Foreseeability Under South Carolina Law
South Carolina courts examine several factors when determining if a criminal act was foreseeable:
- Prior similar incidents on the property
- Crime rates in the surrounding area
- Previous police calls to the location
- Security incident reports and guest complaints
- Known criminal activity at nearby properties
- Prior warnings from law enforcement about security issues
When we’re working these cases, we often pull the crime data in the area to get a better picture of what’s been going on over the previous months and years. More crime generally gives us a stronger argument of liability.
Elements of a South Carolina Negligent Security Claim
To prevail in a negligent security case in South Carolina, victims must prove:
- The hotel owed a duty to protect guests from foreseeable harm
- The property breached this duty through inadequate security
- The breach directly contributed to the incident
- The victim suffered actual damages
The same is true where someone dies and the case is a wrongful death case, rather than a personal injury case. The 4 key elements of negligence are critical in any case, and they are (1) duty, (2) breach of duty, (3) causation, and (4) damages.
Available Compensation Under South Carolina Law
South Carolina law allows victims of hotel violence or their families to seek compensation for:
- Medical expenses and funeral costs
- Lost wages and diminished earning capacity
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional distress
- Loss of companionship
- Punitive damages in cases of gross negligence or particularly egregious conduct.
Importance of Prompt Investigation in South Carolina Cases
After a violent incident at a South Carolina hotel, quick action helps preserve crucial evidence:
- Security camera footage before it's overwritten
- Witness statements while memories are fresh
- Incident reports and security logs
- Staff statements and training records
- Documentation of security measures in place
- Local crime statistics and police reports
Contact Our Negligent Security Team to Help You Get Justice for Your Loss
If you or a loved one has been affected by violence at a hotel or motel in South Carolina, our experienced negligent security attorneys are here to help. We handle these cases across multiple states, and we’ve seen it all. Our experience handling these cases in various states and scenarios gives us unique insight into hotel security requirements and liability laws throughout the Southeast. We understand the complexities of these cases and work tirelessly to hold negligent property owners accountable.
Don't face this difficult situation alone, and don’t allow property owners to sit on dangerous properties in our communities. You can work to ensure justice is served. Call us today at (854) LAWSUIT for a free consultation with a negligent security or wrongful death lawyer at our office. Our team will review your case, explain your rights under state law, and help you pursue the justice and compensation you deserve.
You pay nothing until we win.
You pay nothing for a phone call.
Give us a call, and let’s see if we can work together to get you justice for what you’ve been through.
