PEORIA, Ill. – A Peoria liquor store that apparently has been the scene of a lot of police calls in recent years is being sued by the victim in one of those crimes.
Anthony Thomas, 29, was shot in the head and back during a March, 2021 robbery attempt at Laramie Liquors.
Thomas’ attorney Jeff Green is suing the store, and the man accused of the shooting, David Dillard, 27.
“He can no longer see, he has disfigurement to his face, he’s lost his sense of smell, he was working three different jobs,” said Green, to 25 News.
Green cites a history of violence on the property, with more than 670 calls to police for various incidents on site in the five years prior to this shooting.
Green says Laramie Liquors has everything including bullet-proof glass to firearms for employees, but none of it protects the public as a whole.
“Unfortunately, in Peoria, we have too many businesses that ignore the crime going on, on their premises until it’s too late,” Green said. “Legally, they have to protect their customers from an unreasonable risk of harm, based on the type premises and the history going on there.”
No word on the suite from the business. Dillard, meanwhile, could go to trial as soon as April 17 for Aggravated Battery, Aggravated Discharge of a Firearm, and Unlawful Possession of a Weapon by a Felon. He’s pleaded not guilty.
David Dillard (1470 & 100.3 WMBD/Peoria County Jail)
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