Woman shot at anti-violence rally in Boynton Beach plans to sue city, attorney says
Richard Ryles announced the pending lawsuit July 11 on behalf of Diamond Delk, one of three women shot and wounded when gunfire, reportedly between rival gangs, erupted at Sara Sims Park. Police investigators say the shootings occurred during an unsanctioned "Peace in the Hood" gathering of about 500 people.
The city denied an organizer's request for a permit. But Ryles said that denial did not absolve the city of responsibility.
"The city of Boynton has an ultimate responsibility for maintaining its property in a safe condition and they failed to do that," Ryles said during a news conference at the park, off Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard east of Interstate 95.
Ryles said Delk was shot in the hip and fractured her leg as she tried to escape the hail of bullets. He said Delk is recovering at home after receiving care at a hospital. She did not attend the news conference.
Boynton Beach has six months to investigate before formal litigation can begin. A city police spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The department had not announced any arrests as of July 11.
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Ryles questioned the city's handling of the event. He said city police should have disbanded it since it was being held without a permit.
"Other cities throughout Palm Beach County routinely take precautionary measures in response to unauthorized gatherings, including increased police patrols, public warnings, and proactive park closures," he said. "Boynton Beach did none of these things. Their inaction allowed an unlawful, high-risk event to unfold unchecked, placing hundreds of innocent lives in danger."
He noted that several young children were present during the event and referenced videos posted to social media showing some of them fleeing from the gunfire.
"Hopefully, this litigation will make Boynton Beach police do things differently in the future so that I don't have to see social media (videos of) toddlers running for their lives when they're out just having a day of fun with their families," he said.
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City documents indicate a suburban Lake Worth Beach woman applied for the permit. She has not returned calls seeking comment. The city documents also show that a Boynton Beach police captain advised against approving the permit due to staffing concerns related to the Fourth of July holiday.
Dedrick Straghn, president of the south county chapter of the NAACP, said police officers were present for a period of time, but did not intervene. Straghn said everyone knew that the event was unsanctioned except for the attendees.
"I agree that not only did police not do their job, but the city did not do their job," Straghn said. "There was a police presence here. At that time, they should have known that event was not sanctioned and shut it down, but they didn't. They were here and then they left. They left these attendees here without protection."
Julius Whigham II is a criminal justice and public safety reporter for The Palm Beach Post. You can reach him at jwhigham@pbpost.com and follow him on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, at @JuliusWhigham. Help support our work: Subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Woman shot during Boynton Beach anti-violence rally to file lawsuit
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