Gang shootout at nightclub leads to $1M settlement 

The estate of a woman killed during a shootout at a Timmonsville nightclub has settled its lawsuit for $1 million, her attorneys report.  

Mickelsen

Brian Mickelsen and Danny Dalton of Mount Pleasant report that in the early hours of Feb. 23, 2019, 30-year-old Anastasia Lowrey, her sister, and two friends were at Mike’s Warehouse for a concert featuring several local artists. Hundreds of people were in attendance, Mickelsen said, including members of two rival gangs, the 100 gang and 5 Trey Bloods.  

Defendant Lock Down Security and Protection, a Dalzell-based security company, was contracted to provide security-related services for the event, including patrolling the premises and deterring dangerous activity.  

When a fight broke out between the two groups, security guards should have escorted gang members off the premises and called law enforcement, Mickelsen said. Instead, they engaged in an altercation with the gang members, spraying tear gas and creating “absolute chaos” in the overcrowded club, as clubgoers scattered, frantically trying to escape. 

The fight spilled into the parking lot, Mickelsen said, and gang members began shooting at one another from inside and outside of the club. Lowrey was caught in the crossfire; a tragedy that Mickelsen said was entirely preventable.  

Dalton

The complaint alleges numerous breaches of duty, including the defendant’s failure to check identification or conduct pat-downs at the club’s entrance.  

“The security company allowed violent gang members carrying deadly weapons inside a club and when a fight broke out, they thought it was a good idea to Mace the place,” Mickelsen said. “It was a recipe for disaster that left a young child without a mother.” 

The defendant was represented by G. Michael Smith of Conway. Smith did not immediately return a message requesting comment.  

SETTLEMENT REPORT — WRONGFUL DEATH 

Amount: $1 million  

Injuries alleged: Death 

Case name: Lowrey v. Lock Down Security and Protection 

Court: Florence County Circuit Court  

Case No.: 2020-CP-21-01223 

Date of settlement: January 2021 

Attorneys for plaintiff: Brian Mickelsen and Danny Dalton of Mount Pleasant 

Attorney for defendants: G. Michael Smith of Thompson & Henry in Conway