JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The family of a Jacksonville man who was shot and killed at Ginnie Springs over Memorial Day Weekend has filed a lawsuit against the popular park.
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Koty Stewart was a husband and father. He died after deputies said there was an argument over a parking spot with a stranger.
“To say they’re impacted is an understatement. He was the patriarch of the family,” the family’s attorney Chris Campione said.
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Campione Law is representing the family, and the negligence security lawsuit was filed after they claimed there wasn’t enough protection to keep the local father and other visitors safe.
“This is a totality of failures what Ginnie Springs has done,” Antoine Pecko, another attorney for the family, said.
The private park’s policies say no firearms are allowed. Two people have been arrested since the deadly shooting.
Read: Man from Jacksonville killed in 1 of 2 shootings at Ginnie Springs over Memorial Day weekend
Officials said anywhere between 20,000 to 30,000 people were there, and Pecko cited a lack of security, no capacity limits and no rules enforcement and called it a no-holds-barred situation that’s gotten worse over time.
“Had they had done that, they could have caught the criminals bringing in firearms, bringing in drugs, all these things as well. When you add it all together, unfortunately, this is what happens,” Pecko said.
The Memorial Day Weekend event has been advertised over social media for the past several years, calling it a party atmosphere that doesn’t recommend children go. Some commenters said that the holiday weekend is terrible there, not safe for children and it’s too crowded.
Attorneys said while many love the springs, they believe something needs to change.
Read: Another man shot at Ginnie Springs over Memorial Day weekend has died, FDLE says
The lawsuit was filed on the couple’s anniversary.
“Amber (Koty’s wife) is strong. She’s being strong, but you have 2 children growing up without a father because of what happened here,” Campione said. “It’s a shame this guy was let in the park, the actual shooter, but when you create an environment like that, it’s inevitable this kind of stuff will happen.”
Action News Jax tried reaching out to the park for a comment but couldn’t reach anybody.
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