Judge grants request for police reports in Waffle House death suit

A Boone County judge on Thursday granted a request for police reports made by attorneys for the family of a man killed by a security guard at Waffle House.

Judge Jeff Harris heard arguments Thursday on motions in a wrongful death case brought by the family of Anthony Warren, who was shot at a Columbia Waffle House last year when he was shot by sercurity guard Robert Moses, who worked for the company Signal 88. Moses told police he feared for his safety when he shot Warren after two other men had been in a struggle over a gun.

Harris granted Warren’s family’s request for all reports of physical altercations and police call incident reports to the Waffle House on Vandiver Drive from the date when Signal 88 began its security contract with the restaurant until the incident on Jan. 1. 2018.

Signal 88 agreed to provide the incident reports and Moses’ security guard training and hiring documents.

Both parties in the lawsuit will also submit a revised schedule to proceed with the case as a criminal case related to Warren’s death continues. Matthew McMillan was arrested after the shooting and charged with disposing of the gun at the center of the struggle that preceded Warren’s shooting death.

Signal 88 is also seeking to have itself removed from the lawsuit, arguing that claims of “negligent entrustment and negligent hiring” are not warranted because Signal 88 was “acting by and through its employees, agents and/or servants … including defendant Moses.” They also argue that Moses was acting within the scope of his employment.

Warren’s family filed a wrongful death lawsuit in January 2018.