Daughters of man killed in Elk Grove bar shooting sue nightclub, city and state

The two young daughters of a man killed in a 2025 shooting at an Elk Grove nightclub are suing the business, its landlord, the city and the state, alleging a series of failures allowed the gunman to return to the establishment with a firearm and open fire.

The wrongful death lawsuit, filed Nov. 2 in Sacramento County Superior Court, was brought by the daughters of 34-year-old Phuc Minh Vo, who died three days after being shot inside Z Town Asian Gastro Bar on Elk Grove Florin Road.

The complaint alleges the nightclub operated as a late-night entertainment venue without proper licensing, adequate security or meaningful safeguards to prevent violence. It also accuses local and state officials of failing to address warning signs about the business before the deadly shooting.

According to the lawsuit, Vo was at the establishment with friends on Nov. 2, 2025, celebrating a birthday when 43-year-old Roderick Randall allegedly opened fire.

Randall had allegedly been involved in a verbal altercation with 18-year-old patron Kim Kha Huynh shortly before the shooting. The lawsuit alleges Randall left the business, retrieved a firearm from his vehicle and was allowed to re-enter without being stopped or searched.

Randall allegedly then opened fire in Huynh's direction, striking four people, including Huynh and Vo, who the lawsuit describes as an uninvolved bystander. Both men died.

Vo was transported to a nearby hospital and never regained consciousness. He was declared dead on Nov. 5, 2025, following brain-death testing, according to the complaint.

The lawsuit alleges Z Town employed Randall or allowed him to work at the establishment despite his extensive criminal history.

The Sacramento County District Attorney's Office previously confirmed Randall was convicted of four counts of attempted premeditated murder in connection with a 2012 gang-related shooting. He was sentenced to 88 years to life in prison.

However, a change in California law eliminated criminal liability for murder and attempted murder for people convicted as aiders and abettors under the natural and probable consequences doctrine, prosecutors said. Randall's convictions were overturned as a result, and he was released from prison in 2023.

The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation also provided details about Randall's earlier criminal history.

In September 2003, Randall was sentenced to six years in prison for pimping a minor and providing a child for lewd and lascivious acts, the CDCR said. After receiving credit for time served before sentencing and time earned while incarcerated, he was released on parole in December 2005.

In 2006, Randall was sentenced to another six-year prison term for first-degree burglary. He was released on parole in June 2009 after receiving similar credits, according to the CDCR. His parole was revoked in December 2009, but he was released again in June 2010. He remained on parole until December 2012, when he was discharged.

The plaintiffs claim a background check would have revealed Randall's history. They further allege the business had no written security plan, did not adequately train security personnel, did not screen patrons for weapons and lacked procedures to prevent people involved in altercations from returning.

The lawsuit also takes aim at how Z Town was licensed and operated.

According to the complaint, the business applied for a California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control license in 2023, representing that it would operate as an eating establishment open until midnight, with approximately 10% of its sales coming from alcohol.

However, the daughters allege Z Town instead operated as a nightclub until 2 a.m., advertised DJ entertainment and promoted all-you-can-drink alcohol deals. The lawsuit also claims the business allowed people under 21 to enter.

The complaint alleges the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control failed to investigate a prior complaint that Z Town had served alcohol to a minor and never inspected the establishment between issuing its license and the shooting.

The City of Elk Grove is also accused of failing to forward calls for service at the business to state alcohol regulators or take enforcement action. The lawsuit points to a November 2024 assault at the establishment, as well as noise-disturbance and alarm calls before the shooting.

The business's landlord, Pan Pacific (Bel Air Village), LLC, is accused of knowing about the nightclub's operations and failing to require adequate security or address potential licensing violations.

The daughters are seeking economic and non-economic damages, including compensation for the loss of their father's financial support, companionship, care and guidance. They are also seeking funeral and burial expenses.

Randall was arrested in August after being extradited from Texas, where he had been held on a separate charge of providing false information to federal law enforcement officers. Elk Grove police previously identified him as the suspect in the shooting and obtained a warrant charging him with two counts of homicide, assault with a deadly weapon and possession of a firearm by a prohibited person.