CONWAY, S.C.In a wrongful death complaint, the longtime partner of a man who was shot dead by his coworker at Nacho Hippo in 2022 has accused the restaurant and its owners in North Myrtle Beach of failing to take action in response to obvious warning indications of aggressive conduct before to the murder.
The restaurant, its ownership group, and ten other defendants were named in the 17-page legal complaint filed last Thursday by Latoya Willard, the 26-year-old girlfriend of the late Quentin Johnson. After what she and her lawyers describe as an avoidable, cold-blooded murder, the complaint accuses them of negligence and wrongful death.
Murder Could Have Been Prevented, Lawsuit Alleges
Coworker Lafredia Todd shot Johnson within the restaurant parking lot on July 28, 2022, resulting in the death. After a well-publicized trial, Todd—who claimed self-defense—was found guilty and given a 36-year prison sentence in January 2025.
According to the lawsuit, supervisors and employees at Nacho Hippo were aware of Todd’s aggressive tendencies. She had a history of physical altercations and confrontations, including hurling things at coworkers, but she was still employed without the appropriate support.
According to the case, defendants decided to ignore Todd’s past despite her frequent instances of antisocial, combative, and/or violent behavior.
Details of the Shooting Point to Planned Ambush
According to the filed complaint, Todd left work at 9:53 p.m. on the night of the murder but stayed in the restaurant for about an hour. According to the prosecution, she used security cameras to track Johnson’s movements while she was in the manager’s office with a revolver.
Todd left the office with Johnson’s back to him and shot him, purportedly as payback for a verbal threat he had made earlier that night. Willard’s lawyers contend that this was a planned attack, not self-defense, with assistance from Todd’s brother, Joshua Bryant, who spoke with her on the phone for forty-five minutes before the shooting.
Bryant may have called the police or assisted in defusing the situation because he was apparently nearby in Little River. The lawsuit emphasizes that even after Todd fired a gun into the parking lot, nobody at Nacho Hippo stepped in to stop it.
Learn more about the trial and the initial charges.
Negligence Claims Highlight Johnson s Lack of Awareness
According to the lawsuit, Quentin Johnson had just been employed at Nacho Hippo for 12 days when he passed away and was not aware of Todd’s prior actions.
Additionally, the lawsuit claims that the restaurant ought to have booted Todd off the property after she left, particularly after she was captured on camera coming back inside with a revolver.
Following a three-day Stand Your Ground hearing, the judge denied Todd’s immunity and dismissed her claim of self-defense.
Seeking Accountability and Answers
Willard’s lawsuit aims to compensate for his suffering, loss of friendship, and the inability of Nacho Hippo management to establish a secure workplace. Before it’s too late, she hopes the case will compel companies to better identify the warning signals of workplace violence.
Later this year, the full complaint and legal actions are anticipated to proceed.
Do you believe that companies who disregard warning indications of employee violence should face legal repercussions? Send us a comment atSaludaStandard-Sentinel.com.
