(COLORADO SPRINGS) — On Saturday, Dec. 30, community members gathered to have their voices heard on the repeated violent crime that has occurred at the Citadel Mall, after the latest shooting on Christmas Eve that left one person dead and three others injured.
18-year-old Teryus Thomas was killed on Christmas Eve after a fight broke out between two groups of people, according to the Colorado Springs Police Department (CSPD). Two men and a woman were also injured after shots were fired.
The Citadel Mall has earned an unfortunate reputation for this kind of violence. Data from CSPD shows that in 2022, the Citadel Mall had about 200 calls for service on incidents such as shots fired, assault, robbery, harassment, disturbances, and weapons violations.
In May of 2022, a 12-year-old girl was shot in the chest in the Burlington Coat Factory parking lot, paralyzing her from the armpits down. Her family has filed suit against the mall, and the law firm representing her family begged the question: “How many people need to die or be gravely injured for the mall’s ownership to finally take the safety and security of its customers seriously?”
Following the Christmas Eve shooting, the Men of Influence, a men’s program working under OnebodyEnt, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in Colorado Springs, held a ‘Stop the Violence’ rally at the Citadel Mall on Dec. 30. The group said the goal of the rally was to advocate for peace and safety, and unite the community to stand against violence.
“The mall didn’t create this issue. The people are coming into the mall, creating these issues, so if we are, the people that we can control some of those issues that are happening,” said Shaun Walls, founding member of the Men of Influence. “So that’s our goal here is to get these people together and say ‘hey, we can send our kids to the mall and come to the mall and act like civil human beings and not have violence happening in front of these peoples stores, in front of all the women and children, innocent people.”
The community showed up in force to the rally on Saturday afternoon, to hear speeches from members of the community, and to remember and honor the lives of those who were lost to the senseless violence.
“We vehemently condemn the results of individual violence on Christmas Eve. Our thoughts are with the affected families, and we stand in solidarity with the vendors and employees who deserve a secure environment to provide services that enrich our community,” said the Men of Influence in a press release. “The Men Of Influence look forward to partnering with city leaders to actively support our efforts to create lasting change. By investing in our community, we can pave the way for a brighter future, where everyone, especially our youth, can live and work without fear.”
The management team for the Citadel Mall has issued a statement in response to the Christmas Eve shooting, which you can read in its entirety below:
We are deeply saddened by the tragic events that took place at Citadel Mall on Christmas Eve. Our hearts go out to the victims of this horrible incident, including one of our own Security Officers who was seriously wounded trying to prevent the situation that unfolded.
Protecting our merchants, employees, and patrons has remained our top priority, and our team has invested substantially in enhancing safety and security on property. In the wake of this incident, our primary concern remains the safety and well-being of everyone at Citadel Mall. We remain fully committed to the heightened security presence on property and have further increased patrol efforts on site while this active police investigation continues. We are currently evaluating options for long-term measures and will take any necessary actions to ensure Citadel Mall is a safe place for all.
Citadel Mall Management
