JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Adrian Gainer Sr. stood in the summer heat Tuesday, holding a young child in his arms with family members at his side, to announce he is suing the Hilltop Village Apartments. Gainer's 16-year-old son, Adrian Gainer Jr., was shot and killed at the apartment complex in broad daylight on Feb. 25.
Though it has been months since his son was gunned down, the father's pain is as if it happened today.
"My son is truly missed. It's been heartbreaking. I have to deal with it every day," he said. "It makes me tear up every time I think about it."
The senior Gainer hired a local attorney to sue the apartment complex. The lawsuit claims a lack of security on the property contributed to the shooter's -- or shooters' -- ability to take the boy's life
"We are here to state that Adrian Gainer Jr. didn't die in vain," said DeWayne Terry of Rubenstein Law.
"We have found that ... Hilltop apartments failed to provide the adequate security needed for their tenants, for those that pay rent, as well as Cambridge management," attorney Chris Gaj said.
Among the supporters of the family's call for justice is City Councilwoman Ju’Coby Pittman, who represents this district. She’s outraged by the violence.
"A 16-year-old to get off the bus, to come visit a relative and be shot in broad daylight? I have a problem with that," Pittman said. "Everyone in this community, we are tired of being sick and tired of every time that you turn on the television, that there is a loss of a life. I want to say that we are behind this family."
As the lawsuit moves forward, this family has a message to those committing the violence.
"So I am asking ya'll, please stop the violence and ya'll help us stay strong," Adrian Gainer Sr. said.
According to the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office, Adrian Gainer Jr.'s death is considered a murder and the case remains unsolved.