A new lawsuit alleges failures by the parent company of Allen Premium Outlets and the company hired to provide security led to more deaths and injuries during the 2023 mass shooting.
The suit, filed Friday in Dallas County, was brought by the families of people injured or killed during the May 6, 2023, shooting. Eight people were killed by the shooter, armed with an AR-15 rifle, and at least seven more were injured. The shooter was killed by an Allen police officer who was nearby on an unrelated call a few minutes into the attack.
The shooting victims represented in the suit are Elio Cumana Rivas, 32; Aishwarya Thatikonda, 26; Kyu Song Cho, 37; Cindy Shinyoung Cho, 35; and James Cho, 3. Preetibala Patel, who was injured in the shooting, and her family also joined the suit.
Also killed in the shooting were Christian LaCour, 20, and sisters Sofia and Daniela Mendoza, 8 and 11.
The complaint alleges Simon Property Group, the parent company of Allen Premium Outlets, knew the risk of violence at open-air facilities but didn’t put adequate safety measures in place.
It also alleges Allied Universal Security Services, the company hired to provide security for the mall, didn’t adequately staff the 611,000-square-foot complex. One unarmed security guard, LaCour, was present. He was killed by the shooter.
“Allen Police advocated for dozens of uniformed officers to adequately secure such a large, densely populated outdoor setting,” the complaint reads. “Simon and Allied ignored these requests and failed to provide any comparable level of security as an alternative.”
A spokesperson for Allied Universal Security Services said the company does not comment on pending litigation. A representative of Simon Property Group didn’t immediately respond to a voicemail request for comment.
The complaint also says Simon failed to assist from its intelligence headquarters during the shooting, leaving law enforcement without direction.
“We allege that [the shooter] was a lot more successful in harming mall goers, including our clients, because of what we allege to be the grossly under-secured nature of the mall,” said Jeffrey Simon, an attorney representing the plaintiffs in the case.
Simon said the suit isn’t only about getting monetary restitution for the families, but also it meant to draw attention to the need for better security to prevent mass shootings.
“If you want to reduce gun violence in America, proper security in the places where the public gathers is essential,” Simon said.
Budget Suites of America is also a defendant in the lawsuit. The shooter was living at a Budget Suites before the attack, and the complaint alleges staff there was negligent in failing to report suspected criminal activity.
