MIAMI GARDENS, FLA. (WSVN) - A man who was left paralyzed after a shooting at a South Florida restaurant has filed a lawsuit.
The victim, Carlos Wilkerson, 23, is suing Karim Kharbouch, rapper French Montana and the popular restaurant The Licking.
On Tuesday, his parents and attorneys announced the lawsuit.
“Every day, every hour, every minute, it’s a new challenge for him, and we’re having to watch it and it hurts,” said Shanta Bonius, Wilkerson’s mother. “Most everybody has gone on with their life. Our lives have changed. Our lives have changed forever. My son’s life has changed forever.”
This incident happened on Jan. 5 in Miami Gardens, where French Montana was filming a music video at the restaurant. An unknown gunman appeared outside the restaurant and opened fire at the crowd. Ten people were shot.
Wilkerson, a videographer, was in Miami Gardens to work on the music video.
According to police, French Montana failed to get the necessary permits required by the City of Miami Gardens, and organizers of the music video did not follow the proper protocol with the city that would have provided them police protection.
“They did not take basic measures to insure that the shoot would be safe and go smoothly, so what did you think was going to happen?” said Marwan Porter, an attorney. “French Montana and the Licking restaurant cooked up a recipe for disaster.”
“It just wasn’t a video shoot that went bad, it’s so much more than that,” Bonius said. “It’s our son that has been day by day fighting for his life.”
Wilkerson still remains at a rehabilitation center in South Florida. He is paralyzed from the waist down.
“We are here to make sure that Carlos has the best opportunity to recover and to make sure that people know when you cut corners, individuals get hurt, and there must be accountability,” Porter said.
Officials with the Licking restaurant have said they were not a part of the video shoot and did not authorize the use of their grounds for the video.
7News reached out to French Montana’s representatives, but there has not been a response.
If you’d like to help with his medical expenses, click here to donate to a GoFundMe campaign that was created for Wilkerson.
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