TAMPA, Fla. (Legal Newsline) - Tampa Electric Company is blamed for the bizarre shooting death of a 23-year-old woman who was filming a rap video on its property.
Travis Portner, Sr., filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the company on July 8 in Hillsborough County Circuit, on behalf of the estate of Haley Cox. On July 27, 2020, Jordan Silver was participating in the video - which included a real gun, fake blood and a staged kidnapping.
News reports said Silver shot Cox in the cheek, and another man there, Giovinie Bosques, asked him why he did that. He replied that he didn't know; he also shot Cox's boyfriend twice.
A jury recently found Silver guilty of manslaughter and attempted first-degree murder, despite his lawyer's claim that Bosques was the real shooter.
The civil case on behalf of Cox's estate said Tampa Electric knew its property on Clement Pride Boulevard in Riverview was "being used by young people for various purposes." It owed a duty to provide a reasonable degree of safety to guests and/or lawful invitees, the suit says.
"The property, as well as the geographic area in close proximity to the property, has been locations of numerous prior criminal acts, including crimes against persons," the suit says.
Kevin Sparkman of Ligori & Ligori in Tampa is representing the plaintiff.