ZK Guns closes, landlord sues owner for not paying rent
A Columbia gun shop owner accused of ripping off his customers is now facing more legal trouble.
ZK Guns announced it was officially closed Tuesday, the same day the landlord filed a lawsuit against the owner.
ABC 17 News reported back in July that customers claimed ZK Guns owner, Zach Kean, was taking money up front to order firearms and accessories, then never delivering the product or refund.
A lawsuit filed in Boone County Tuesday by his landlord, Forward Invest, L.L.C. accuses Kean of not paying rent for the space he uses for his store, among other things.
The lawsuit claims Kean violated the terms of his lease.
The court documents say Kean has not paid rent for September or October and that he owes other fees and late charges totaling $3,896.
But that’s not all. Forward Invest also said it loaned Kean’s business $3,646.71 with a six percent interest rate to cover the cost of a sign for the business.
Court documents say Kean has failed to pay the monthly installments on the sign for September and October, as well as the late fees.
The documents go on to say the landlord has demanded Kean pay the remaining balance, but the company has failed to do so.
ABC 17 News reached out to Kean on the business phone number, as well as his cell phone, but calls rolled over to voicemail and had not been returned as of Tuesday night.
ABC 17’s Jillian Fertig went to the store at the shopping center on Penn Terrace in north Columbia, but the doors were locked and the windows were covered with paper.
Fertig was able to see through a part of a window that was uncovered. The place was completely empty.
A sign on the door read “ZK Guns is currently changing things around. Please bare with us. Send us an email at zkguns@yahoo.com.”
Fertig checked with the city and Kean’s business license is valid.
Several customers have reached out to ABC 17 News and said they’re still out money.
If a person feels they have been wronged by this business or any other business, the Missouri Attorney General’s Office urges consumers to file a complaint with its office here.
