Family sues Citadel Mall for ‘woefully inadequate security’ after 13-year-old paralyzed in shooting

COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO. (KRDO) – A Colorado Springs family is suing the Citadel Mall for "woefully inadequate security," after watching an act of violence paralyze their daughter and then observing a trend of violence in the area.

The family's nightmare started when 13-year-old Makayla Anderson was shot at the Citadel Mall in May 2022. The family said she'd just finished shopping when she was caught in the middle of an altercation between two groups shooting at each other.

Makayla, an innocent bystander, was shot in the chest. She is now paralyzed from the waist down. As a result of her injuries, Makayla is now unable to use part of her arm and has undergone multiple surgeries.

"While the Citadel Mall and Namdar still make money off of all of you who live here every single day, they do not have the proper security at that mall, and that is why we filed the lawsuit in the district court," said Chris Stewart, attorney for the family. "And we will get justice not just for Makayla, but to protect every person in Colorado Springs."

While Makayla's life has completely changed, her legal team argues that the security precautions at the mall have not changed nearly enough.

The lawsuit targets four groups involved in the mall's operations -- Citadel Mall Realty LLC, Mason Asset Management, Inc., Namdar Capital Group LLC, and Namdar Realty Group.

Namdar Realty currently owns 61 malls across the country, including the Chapel Hills and Citadel Mall in Colorado Springs.

The lawsuit claims the mall failed to hire necessary security guards and ensure all security cameras were working at the time of last year's shooting. A problem the legal team claims is ongoing to this day.

Colorado Springs Police (CSPD) shared with us that before Makayla was shot in late May, there had been four instances of murder or attempted murder at the mall in 2022.

"This is a real thing that's happening. Makayla is just the extreme and it has to stop now," said Stewart.

As of now, CSPD said they have not made any arrests in this case.

We reached out to them and to Citadel Mall management for a comment on the lawsuit, but at the time of this publication, they had not provided one to KRDO.

Makayla, her mother, and their attorneys addressed the media Monday regarding the lawsuit.

Watch that press conference below: