Parents of murdered Jefferson football star file lawsuit

The parents of Elijah Dewitt have filed a lawsuit against Sugarloaf Mills in Gwinnett County. The 18 year-old Jefferson High School football player was shot and killed in that mall in Lawrenceville last October. His parents say mall operators ignored safety concerns in the shopping center. Dewitt was gunned down at a restaurant in the mall. Two teenagers have been arrested and charged in his death.

From WSB TV…

The family of a high school football player who died in a shooting outside Dave & Busters has filed a lawsuit against the arcade, Sugarloaf Mills and the mall’s security.

DeWitt was a star football player at Jefferson High School in Jackson County. Police said he was shot and killed outside the Dave & Buster’s at Sugarloaf Mills on Oct. 5 while out with friends.

Days later, Kemare Bryan, 19, and Chandler Richardson, 19, were arrested on murder charges in DeWitt’s death.

In a civil lawsuit, the family is claiming that Sugarloaf Mills, Allied Universal and Dave & Buster’s for “failing to provide adequate security even though they knew the property was—and continued to be—dangerous.”

On Friday, Channel 2′s Gwinnett County Bureau Chief Matt Johnson sat down with DeWitt’s family for an exclusive interview on Channel 2 Action News at 4 p.m.

His parents, Craig and Dawn DeWitt, said they thought long and hard before filing the lawsuit, saying that no one from the mall has ever contacted them or responded to them since his death.

Now, they hope better security could save a life.

“The cameras at my home are better than the cameras that were there. We’ll do what we can to make sure no one else feels this way,” Dawn Dewitt said. “And we want to make him proud.”

Attorney Mike Rafi is representing the family in the lawsuit, which alleges that the property negligently fail to maintain, inspect, secure, patrol and manage the premises.

“You have a responsibility to protect your customers, especially when you know that there’s dangerous activity going on,” Rafi said.

Police said there have been 140 calls for reports of violent crime at Sugarloaf Mills in the past year. In 2019, police said a fight led to a shooting that injured a 19-year-old.

“Almost three years exactly prior to this one, involving teenagers, right outside the Dave & Buster’s in the parking lot,” Rafi said.

DeWitt’s family has started the Elijah DeWitt foundation to continue to make positive changes in their community.

“He’s going to make a difference, and he’s going to live on, and we’re going to be there to do it,” Dawn Dewitt said.

Channel 2 Action News has reached out to Simon Malls, which operates Sugarloaf Mills, for a statement.

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