Relative of shooting victim files suit against motel

Man killed in encounter with security guard in ’18

A relative of an unarmed man who was shot and killed by an off-duty security guard last year is suing the guard’s employer and the motel where the shooting occurred.

The lawsuit alleges that Strip Gun Club, 2235 Las Vegas Blvd. South, where Stefan Trevathan worked as a security guard, did not train him properly.

It also alleges that the nearby Fun City Motel and the companies that own and manage the property where both businesses are located “owed a duty to exercise due care personally, professionally, and in the course and scope of their employment to invitees.”

None of the defendants responded to requests for comment.

The lawsuit was filed May 28 in Clark County District Court by Stephen Friese, who is described as “personal representative” of Keith Friese’s estate.

In July, Keith Friese passed through the shared parking lot of the Fun City Motel and Strip Gun Club and got into an altercation with Trevathan, who was off-duty. Trevathan shot him once in the chest.

Police arrested him on one count of murder, but the charge was dismissed less than a month later after a grand jury declined to indict him, according to court records. Trevathan could not be reached for comment.

Trevathan lived at the motel and worked as a security guard for Strip Gun Club, according to the lawsuit. Police said he was home for his lunch break when he spotted Keith Friese in the parking lot. The pair exchanged words and had a brief shoving match before Trevathan, who has an open-carry license, drew his gun and shot Keith Friese.

Keith Friese, 32, later died at University Medical Center.

According to the lawsuit, he was a military veteran. He had been invited to the motel and the indoor shooting range and was on his way there before the shooting.

Keith Friese was unarmed, but Trevathan told police he saw him trying door handles on cars in the parking lot.

The lawsuit names Fun City Motel, Strip Gun Club, Chetak Development, which owns the land, and Cornerstone Companies, which manages it, as defendants. Trevathan is not named as a defendant.