FORT WORTH, Texas — The fiancé of the man who police said was shot and killed by a suspect on a layover at DFW has sued her husband-to-be's workplace, alleging they did not have proper security.
Lee Douglas was shot in the parking lot of the Refresco warehouse in Fort Worth while he took a break from his overnight electrician shift, police and family members said. He died in June.
Police said the suspect, 18-year-old Decan Medeiros, had stopped at DFW Airport on the night of May 29, hours before Douglas was shot. Medeiros' family members told WFAA that the teen has no ties to North Texas and was only here for his layover. He was heading back to Washington state after a trip he took for work, his family said.
"It’s been hard," said Timmesha Green, Douglas' fiancé in an interview with WFAA Thursday. "I felt like that was my soulmate, I really did."
Green's attorneys have filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Refresco, alleging it didn't provide enough parking lot security or lighting and that it should have recognized the "dangers" in the area.
A Refresco spokesperson declined to comment on the lawsuit Monday, saying the company don't comment on active legal matters.
"What really compounds the tragedy is that this was completely preventable had Refresco just had the basic security that every other business in that area had," said Green's attorney Blerim Elmazi.
Elmazi and Green's other attorney, Shayan Elahi, said the other businesses on the block had security.
A police report said after Mederios shot the father of five -- and attempted to attack his coworkers -- he then went to another industrial building across the street, where a security guard confronted him. He ran away, the report said.
"Basically the family needs to be compensated," said Elahi. "There are children who have been orphaned and they need to be taken care of for the rest of their lives."
Since the shooting, Green said she's had to move out of her apartment and "give up" her car because she couldn't get it fixed.
She used to count on Douglas for help with their two young children -- but now has to manage them alone.
"I'm trying to make it, but it's hard," she said. "Talking about him is hard because I have to do it in past tense."
A motive behind the shootings remained unclear, police said. The report said Medeiros had been in Chattanooga, Tenn., where he reportedly left "mad and upset" at his father who had asked him to work, a woman who helped raise Medeiros told police.
When Medeiros went to the Chattanooga airport, police said he reportedly was seen running around shirtless, with the incident report noting his "behavior was off, he was excessively sweating and appeared to be incoherent when spoken to."
Medeiros ultimately boarded his flight, which was stopping in DFW on a layover.
The lawsuit filed by Douglas' family against Refresco Beverages alleged negligence "led to the fatal shooting," according to a press release from the family's attorneys.
The lawsuit is seeking damages and a jury trial.