Eden Bar & Grill Sued By 2 Shooting Victims From Last Summer

JOLIET, IL - Two of the three men who suffered gunshot wounds last summer at a bar on Joliet's east side have filed a new lawsuit against Eden Bar & Grill, located at 926 Gardner St. The lawsuit filed by Darren McDaniel and Erik McDaniel accuses the bar of allowing customer Alonzo Gadson to become intoxicated prior to the late night shootings in the bar's parking lot.

Joliet Police arrested Gadson several days later, and he faces three counts of attempted murder. His case has not gone to trial yet.

According to the lawsuit, Eden Bar "sold or gave liquor to Alonzo Gadson, an allegedly intoxicated person at the defendant's premises located at 926 Gardner Street in the city of Joliet."

On June 25, 2018, Darren McDaniel, "was a guest at said Eden Bar & Grill," notes lawyers John Cichon of the Chicago law firm Polansky & Cichon.

"On June 25 ... after consuming alcohol at said Eden Bar & Grill, Alonzo Gadson, an allegedly intoxicated person, provoked an argument and altercation with plaintiff Darren McDaniel and Erik McDaniel," the Chicago law firm contends.

(Article continues below this mugshot of Alonzo Gadson.)

According to their Will County lawsuit against Eden's, "Darren McDaniel and Erik McDaniel proceeded outside of Eden Bar & Grill and were followed by Alonzo Gadson, an allegedly intoxicated person, who furnished a firearm and fired said firearm at and struck the plaintiff, Darren McDaniel."

The same allegation is repeated later in the lawsuit involving gunshot victim Erik McDaniel.

Besides the Dram Shop Act count, the plaintiffs are also accusing Eden's of negligence, informing the court that Eden employed bouncers at the entrance and exits for the bar.

The lawsuit accuses Eden's of having failed to train its employees to perform the function of serving as a bouncer/security guard, failing to provide a safe environment for its patrons including the McDaniels' and failing to properly search, Alonzo Gadson, "the person that later shot the plaintiff."

Additionally, the employees at Eden's are also accused of having "failed to come to the aid" of the shooting victims who filed the lawsuit and having "failed to impede, restrain or arrest Alonzo Gadson, the man that shot the plaintiff," court documents show.

Lawyers representing the east side Joliet bar have not filed their response to the new lawsuit, which seeks a judgment in excess of $50,000.

As for Gadson, his attempted murder case remains set for another pretrial hearing in late July at Will County's Courthouse. Gadson has remained in the Will County Jail since last June 29, where he's being held on a $4 million bail.

To read Joliet Patch's coverage from last summer's triple shooting at Eden's Bar go here.