Live Nation and Young Jeezy have been vindicated by the California Court of Appeal over a fatal shooting in 2014 that occurred backstage on Wiz Khalifa’s Under the Influence Tour. The court ruled that Live Nation and the “Do It For You” spitter were not responsible for Eric Johnson Jr.’s killing, who was shot to death at a California stop on August 22, 2014, according to reports. In 2015, Johnson Jr.’s family filed an ensuant lawsuit for wrongful death following the fateful shooting, claiming that the global entertainment monopoly could have prevented the homicide if security measures had been fitter.
In regards to the shooting, Justice Stuart R. Pollak ruled: “A violent attack by and between artists and their guests in the backstage area of a performance is not a foreseeable occurrence against which Live Nation should have provided preventative measures of the nature plaintiffs suggest. The reports did not … indicate that any of the artists or their entourages engaged in or posed any danger of violence during the tour. The head of security also indicated that in her more than 10 years at the amphitheater, there had not been any violent incidents backstage.” Jeezy’s tour bus was searched by local authorities in which they unearthed a rifle, resulting in the Atlanta native being detained and charged with illegal possession of a weapon.
At the time, Jeezy spoke about the rifle on his tour bus and ultimately being cleared of the charge: “I pray this had nothing to do with race, but it definitely had nothing to do with evidence. I knew that the allegations and charges were based on zero facts. I’m relieved that the truth has prevailed.” In regards to Johnson Jr.’s death, no homicide charges were ever filed.
Live Nation may be cleared of the backstage shooting in 2014, however, the entertainment company is currently facing a separate wrongful death suit correlative to the backstage stabbing death of Drakeo The Ruler that took place in December 2021 in Los Angeles at the Once Upon a Time music festival. Drakeo was stabbed in the neck at the venue around 8:30 p.m. About four hours after the backstage brawl, Drakeo was pronounced dead at the hospital. Drakeo‘s mother later filed a lawsuit against Live Nation citing ‘lax security measures from the staff and negligence from the venue.’
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