MIAMI GARDENS, FLA. (WSVN) - Two South Florida families gave painful pleas as they search for answers about their murdered loved ones.
In 2019, 17-year-old Rodney Hinds Jr. was shot and killed at a Shell gas station in Miami Gardens.
Hinds’ father, Rodney Hinds Sr. is now suing the owners of the gas station for not having enough security. Hinds Sr. was also joined by Zoretta Snell, who lost her son, Trenard Snell, in 2009.
“I can’t believe 12 years has passed since I lost my son, and yet here again, we have the same situation,” Snell said.
Hinds Sr. and Snell want to warn others about the possible dangers at gas stations ahead of the holiday weekend.
“People is losing they lives senselessly for no reason,” said Hinds Sr. “You got a young 17-year-old kid that had a bright future ahead of him that lost his life for no reason.”
In October 2019, Hinds Jr. was gunned down while sitting in a car at the gas station. The crime was captured on surveillance video. The shooter has not been taken into custody.
“Despite clearly knowing of the crime here, the crime in the area and the need for increased security measures, the operators of this Shell station, the Tahir family, did nothing and still have done nothing,” said attorney Adam Finkel.
Snell’s son was killed at a Valero gas station. She sued, and in 2012, a Miami-Dade County jury ordered the gas station to pay the family more than $5 million.
The hope is that everyone remains vigilant and gas stations are motivated to invest in proper security.
“There’s one type of premise in the state of Florida that actually has a statute, which sets out minimum security standards, and those premises are convenience store gas stations. It’s called the Convenience Business Security Act,” said attorney Todd Michaels. “Most gas stations don’t even comply with those minimal standards, and the result is that people keep getting victimized, keep getting robbed, keep getting shot, and unfortunately, also keep getting killed in robberies that occur at gas stations.”
“When will this stop? When will this stop? When will the gas stations be held accountable?” Snell said.
The lawsuit against the Shell gas station in Miami Gardens was filed on Monday.
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