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Daughter of Savannah shooting victim sues businesses near crime scene

The daughter of a Savannah shooting victim has filed suit against the stores where her father, a master sergeant in the Marines, was killed. The girl and her mother have teamed up with attorney Mark Tate. Their goal is to make sure stores like those on Whitaker Street and Congress Street are safe enough for their customers. On Aug. 30, 2024, Tristan Manigault was partying until an argument broke out, according to court documents. That argument ended in a nearby parking lot when Manigault was shot and killed by an unknown gunman. “It became an area of ​​nighttime lawlessness and shootings. And because of that, that young girl lost her father,” Tate told WJCL 22. Tate and the girl, 12-year-old Serenity Manigault, are suing 12 stores on the block, claiming they didn't do enough to protect Manigault or her other customers. “The public is invited to come and do business with them. And they have a duty under Georgia state law to ensure that their premises and the entrances to their premises are reasonably secure,” Tate said. In the civil suit filed Tuesday, Tate says none of the defendants underwent a security analysis or took any steps to protect patrons who sit in the establishment late into the night. In the complaint, Tate even went so far as to refer to downtown as the “Killing Fields” because of the “homicide and crime rate in the area.” “Killing Fields is a strong word, but the fact is that there have been too many shootings, that too many bad things have happened in this area, that it's time – unfortunately, the catalyst for change is the death of a man who left his daughter alone,” Tate said. After the fatal shooting, Savannah police revoked Octane Bar's liquor license, which remains suspended until a hearing in October. Meanwhile, officials have not yet found Manigault's killer. Tate says he just wants reforms for 12-year-old Serenity and Hostess City. “What would a normal person do? Exercise normal care to make sure his guests, who he's trying to make money off, aren't gunned down at night. It's common sense, and they didn't exercise that common sense and normal care and killed a man whose daughter is still texting him. It's a tragedy and we're going to make this tragedy go away and make amends,” Tate said. WJCL 22 News has reached out to nearly every business on the block asking for comment on the lawsuit, but has yet to hear back. Tate wants to take this case to a jury that will hopefully award damages to the Manigaults. But, he says, that will take time.

SAVANNAH, Georgia —

The daughter of a Savannah shooting victim has filed a lawsuit against the companies where her father, a master sergeant in the Marines, was killed.

The girl and her mother have teamed up with attorney Mark Tate to ensure that stores like those on Whitaker and Congress Streets are safe enough for their customers.

On August 30, 2024, Tristan Manigault was partying until an argument broke out, according to court documents. That argument ended in a nearby parking lot when Manigault was shot by an unknown gunman.

“It became an area where there was lawlessness and shootings late into the night. And because of that, this young girl lost her father,” Tate told WJCL 22.

Tate and the girl, 12-year-old Serenity Manigault, are suing 12 stores on the block, claiming they did not do enough to protect Manigault or her other customers.

“The public is invited to do business with them. And under Georgia law, they have an obligation to ensure that their premises and the access roads to their premises are reasonably safe,” Tate said.

In the civil suit filed Tuesday, Tate claims that none of the defendants underwent a safety assessment or took any steps to protect late-night patrons at the cafe. In the suit, Tate even went so far as to refer to the downtown area as the “Killing Fields” because of the “murder and crime rate in the area.”

“Killing Fields is a powerful statement, but the fact is there have been too many shootings and too many bad things have happened in that area. It's time – unfortunately the catalyst for change is the death of a man who left his daughter alone,” Tate said.

Following the fatal shooting, Savannah police revoked Octane Bar's liquor license, which remains suspended pending a hearing in October.

Meanwhile, officials have not yet found Manigault's killer. Tate says he just wants things to get better for 12-year-old Serenity and Hostess City.

“What would a normal person do? Exercise normal due diligence to make sure that their customers that they're trying to make money from aren't gunned down in the night. It's common sense, and they didn't exercise that common sense and normal due diligence and in the process killed a man whose daughter is still texting him. It's a tragedy, and we're going to make this tragedy go away and make it right,” Tate said.

WJCL 22 News has reached out to nearly every business on the block asking for comment on the lawsuit, but has not received a response.

Tate wants to take the case to a jury, which will hopefully award the Manigaults damages. But that will take some time, he says.

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