Elijah DeWitt murder: Craig and Dawn DeWitt sue mall where their footballer son was fatally shot
Warning: This article contains a recollection of crime and can be triggering to some, readers' discretion advised
JEFFERSON, GEORGIA: Slain Georgia footballer Elijah DeWitt's parents Craig DeWitt and Dawn DeWitt are suing the mall where he was murdered. The couple claimed that the mall owners neglected serious safety measures which led to their son's brutal murder.
The 18-year-old high school football star was shot to death on October 5, 2022, outside Dave & Buster's during an attempted robbery just outside Georgia's Sugarloaf Mills Malls located in Lawrenceville. Right before his death, DeWitt was with his girlfriend Bailey Reidling. In the lawsuit filed in the State Court of Gwinett County, lawyers for Craig and Dawn DeWitt stated that with complete knowledge of the "dangerous and hazardous conditions," the mall "negligently represented to its invitees that the [premises] were properly maintained and reasonably safe," according to New York Post.
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Lawsuit filed by Elijah DeWitt's parents
The defendants named in the lawsuit include the mall's security director Jason Choy, five John Does, Dave & Buster's of Georgia, Universal Protection Service, Sugarloaf Mills Limited Partnership and Simon Property Group. Under Georgia law, Craig and Dawn have sought compensatory damages on four counts which include allowing and maintaining a nuisance; failure to keep the premises safe; voluntary undertaking and negligent hiring, training, supervision and retention.
In a statement by Michael Rafi, the DeWitt family lawyer stated, "When businesses know that their property is dangerous… they have two options: one, warn visitors, so they know about the danger and can make an educated decision about whether to go to the property or two… take reasonable safety measures to protect customers who are unaware of the danger," and added "these defendants did not warn or keep people safe," reported New York Post.
Who are the alleged murderers of DeWitt?
Following the 2022 murder of DeWitt, Chandler, 19, and Kemare Bryan, 18, were taken into custody for fatally shooting DeWitt and were each charged with four felonies. In February, Bryan pleaded not guilty to the charges of felony murder, aggravated assault, malice murder, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony while Richardson's arraignment is scheduled for Friday, March 10.
Deeming the alleged murderers as a flight risk, the judge denied them bail after they were taken into custody in South Carolina. Both Bryan and Richardson were arrested in South Carolina following the alleged murder and were denied bail after a judge deemed them a flight risk.
'This is not the dream we had for our son'
DeWitt's parents who are disappointed with the turn of events in the murder case will be holding a press conference relating to the lawsuit. In a statement to the news outlet, the grieving parents said, "This is not the dream we had for our son, instead it has become a daily nightmare that we are unable to wake up from," and added, "We are constantly reminded of the opportunities and moments that were taken away from him and sincerely hope that we can use our voices to help bring about some change that will prevent another family from experiencing this in the future."
DeWitt's girlfriend Reidling recalled the horrifying incident saying that in the parking lot of the entertainment, she found him in a pool of blood. DeWitt, who attended Jackson County's Jefferson High School, was nicknamed by NFL star Cam Newton as 'Easy E'.