Eight months after a teenager was fatally shot inside his apartment, his family has filed a lawsuit against the complex where he lived.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The family of a 19-year-old Jacksonville man is suing the companies connected to his apartment complex, alleging inadequate security contributed to his death.
The shooting occurred Feb. 13, 2026, at The Marley at Trout River Apartments on Broward Road, according to police.
The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office said officers found Patrick Hurlburt suffering from multiple gunshot wounds when they arrived. He was taken to a hospital in life-threatening condition and died six days later.
Investigators said several unidentified suspects tried to rob Hurlburt’s apartment. At the time, JSO said detectives had not determined how the suspects entered or whether they knew Hurlburt.
More than eight months later, Hurlburt’s family remains without answers. Now, they are seeking accountability in court.
The family filed a wrongful-death lawsuit Oct. 27 in Duval County against five companies tied to the complex’s ownership and management. The complaint alleges the companies failed to provide reasonable security despite a longstanding history of crime at the property.
According to the lawsuit, the complex had no security cameras, controlled access system or security guards, even though law enforcement had been called there repeatedly.
The complaint says JSO responded to the property more than 1,900 times between Jan. 1, 2021, and Feb. 12, 2026. That amounts to more than one call per day, on average, during the five-year period.
The lawsuit alleges those calls included five reports of someone being shot, 22 incidents involving gunfire and 35 calls related to armed disputes, assaults, suspicious people or other weapon-related disturbances.
The lawsuit also cites more than 140 calls involving assaults, batteries or fights, as well as 74 reported burglaries.
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Hurlburt’s family’s attorney argues the volume and nature of those calls reflected serious safety concerns that should have led to stronger security measures.
The complaint also references a fatal shooting at the property in 2021, when the complex was known as Water’s Edge. The attorney said the current ownership assumed control while litigation related to that earlier death was still pending.
For Hurlburt’s family, the case represents more than a legal action. They say it is also about remembering the young man they lost and the life he never had the chance to build.
Hurlburt graduated from First Coast High School with a 3.8 GPA and had been accepted to Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. His father, Joshua Hurlburt, said Patrick was his best friend and only child.
“It’s tough. He was a great kid. He did well in school and never got in trouble. We had a great relationship. He really didn’t deserve this.”
The family said it wants accountability and hopes telling Patrick’s story can help spare another family from experiencing a similar loss.
“He always had a smile on his face. I never saw him mad. He was something special,” said Rhiannon McKinney, Patrick’s mother.
The defendants named in the lawsuit are Broward Road Owner LLC, Broward Road JV LLC, Federal Capital Partners LLC, Springer Capital LLC and Cushman & Wakefield of Florida LLC.
First Coast News contacted the property management company for comment but had not received a response.
The call totals cited in the lawsuit come from the family’s complaint. A call for service does not necessarily mean a crime occurred, and First Coast News is working to confirm the figures with JSO.
JSO has not publicly identified any suspects in the information provided to First Coast News.
