French Montana escaped bullets that flew last Thursday while he was shooting a music video in Miami Gardens, Florida, but he may not be able to escape a flurry of lawsuits.
Lawyer Josiah Graham of the Graham Injury Firm in Fort Lauderdale said he plans to file a lawsuit on behalf of one of the victims of the mass shooting, according to NBC 6.
Carl Leon, 25, told Local 10 “everything went down” as he was talking to Montana during a break in filming. He was shot in the abdomen and also in the hand – shattering the bone in his thumb. A third bullet grazed his head.
In a release on Sunday, Graham said the shooting happened “during the filming of a music video for recording artist, French Montana” and that his client was an innocent bystander who suffered “extensive injuries that have since forced him to undergo surgical operations.”
Graham told 7News that he wants to know why there wasn’t adequate security during filming of the music video. He told CBS Miami: "French Montana, yes, we are looking into him because it's our understanding that he had an unauthorized video shoot."
On Friday, Montana issued a statement via Twitter that made no mention of a music video.
“Last night, I was in Miami celebrating the release of my [Coke Boys 6] mixtape w/ friends at a local restaurant,” he wrote. “We unfortunately were at the wrong place, at the wrong time when an incident took place that left people hurt. Our thoughts & prayers are w/ the victims & families at this time.”
Video clips posted on social media clearly show Montana and Rob49 doing scenes for the music video for “Igloo,” a track off Montana’s just-released mixtape Coke Boys 6, behind The Licking, a restaurant co-owned by DJ Khaled.
A crowd had gathered to watch Montana, in distressed denims and a red T-shirt with white lettering, and Rob49, in a white shirt and white shorts, perform for the camera in front of a pair of luxury cars and a low rider. (Wilmark Baez told NBC 6 that he loaned his low rider to Montana’s production team.)
On the track, Montana raps “Your guns ain't got no bodies” and Rob49 raps “I ain't never seen this many haters in one circle / I ain't never know this many n***as was tryna hurt me.”
At approximately 8 p.m., shots rang out, leaving 10 people injured, including several “suffering traumatic injuries,” according to Miami Dade Fire Rescue.
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Police Chief Blames Shooting On 'Unauthorized Music Video' Shoot
Miami Gardens Police Chief Delma Noel-Pratt said in a statement last Friday that no permits had been issued to shoot a music video. “Investigations so far have revealed that the necessary permits were not obtained by the organizers of the music video production,” she said. “The City’s policy requires a permit application and the appropriate law enforcement detail to be secured for these types of activities.
“As a result of this disregard of the procedures, the unauthorized music video production led to an unfortunate situation. If the necessary agencies were notified ahead of time and protocol followed, police officers would have been in place to safeguard the community and assist with deterring and responding, if needed, to any situation that may arise.”
In its own statement, The Licking said: “Our hearts are heavy and go out to the victims of this senseless act. We were not aware of a video being filmed and found out last minute. French Montana was shooting a scene in the back parking lot. We have no idea what actually took place. The Licking restaurant has nothing to do with the incident and has given police the necessary footage requested.”
There has been no comment from Rob49 or his reps. According to multiple reports, the rapper is one of the wounded.
No arrests have been made but an investigation is underway.