GALVESTON – The purported shooting of a homeless man at a local express hotel almost two years ago has resulted in a lawsuit, recent Galveston County District Court records show.
William Keller filed the 7-page suit against Willis Gandhi and Balaji Hospitality, doing business as Holiday Inn Express, on Aug. 9 in the Galveston County 405th District Court.
Keller states that he was partaking in the free breakfast offered by the defendant hotel on Sept. 13, 2016 when Gandhi, its principal, confronted him and told him to vacate the premises.
The suit says the plaintiff complied and requested to retrieve his backpack from the adjacent conference room, but Gandhi denied him access.
Court papers further allege that Keller was then chased, adding he and Gandhi engaged in a tug of war for the backpack.
“Suddenly, without warning, the defendant Gandhi dropped the backpack, unholstered a handgun he was carrying, and shot the plaintiff through the chest and shoulder,” the original petition says.
Police arrived and arrested Gandhi on an assault with a deadly weapon charge.
Keller says the shooting was unprovoked and an overreaction to his attempt to get breakfast.
Consequently, he seeks unspecified monetary damages.
Scott Arnold of the Law Offices of Scott Arnold, P.C. in Houston is representing the plaintiff.
Galveston County 405th District Court Case No. 18-CV-1086