Families of 2 victims in deadly Conway bank robbery sue bank, security companies
CONWAY, SC July 7 2020 The families of the two victims in the deadly 2017 CresCom bank robbery in Conway are suing the bank, the shopping center, and various security companies.
Katie Skeen, 36, and Donna Major, 59, both CresCom bank workers, were murdered during the brutal robbery.
In a wrongful death lawsuit filed on July 2, their families claim the security system was not working properly, the area was not guarded adequately to fit the history of criminal activity in the area and more. The families are asking for a jury trial and for actual and punitive damages.
Defendants in the lawsuit are Crescom Bank, Crescom Financial Services, Financial Holdings, Crescent Mortgage Company, Crescom Mortgage, Freda Gore, Security Technology Services, March Networks, Lake Norman Security Patrol, Security Central and Gator Coastal Shopping Center.
The suit claims when a silent alarm was triggered, the “Defendant Security Companies” attempted but failed to call the phone associated with the teller line where the silent alarm was activated.
“Upon information and believe, Defendant Security Companies did not call the phone associated with the silent alarm, or any other phone at CresCom Bank; rather, they called a phone number associated with an unrelated entity and the phone was answered by an unidentified person with no association with CresCom Bank.”
Also, the suit claims, when Defendant Security Companies contacted the police, it was unclear to the police where they were supposed to respond.
Violent actions at the premise were foreseeable, the suit states, because of numerous reports of incidents of violent criminal activity on the premises and at other properties in the vicinity over the past five years. Thus, the defendants “had actual and constructive knowledge of the need to properly maintain, secure, inspect, patrol and manage the premises, but failed to exercise ordinary care.”
The premises were, “negligently maintained, inspected, secured, patrolled, and managed, “ the suit claims. The suit details the equipment, maintenance and patrol that is at issue. The deaths were a direct result these acts and omissions, the families contend.
Brandon Council was sentenced to death in October for the double murder and robbery. He was found guilty after 45 minutes of deliberation in September.
