A slew of lawsuits have been filed in a Richland County court in recent days targeting the Columbiana Centre mall over a 2022 mass shooting that injured more than a dozen people.
As of Monday, seven suits have been filed in just over a week in the Court of Common Pleas, alleging the mall and its security measures were negligent when gunfire erupted on a busy Easter weekend at the mall off Interstate 26 and Harbison Boulevard.
Two years later, three people have yet to be brought to trial on charges that a years-long feud between the individuals erupted into gunfire when they encountered each other at the mall, investigators said.
Many lawsuits have been filed by shoppers who were injured in the shooting, but the flurry of filings in the past week follows a recent federal court decision transferring suits about the shooting to South Carolina state courts, since the out-of-state companies that manage Columbiana and are tasked with providing security there are incorporated in South Carolina and subject to state courts.
Two women visiting the mall that day had previously filed a $20 million claim in federal court . One of the women was grazed by a bullet and another was shot and suffered severe damage to her health, the lawsuit claims.
That suit is now in state court, along with half a dozen others.
In one, a man recounts carrying his pregnant wife into hiding in the back of a Gap store after she was shot in the leg, only to discover he himself was bleeding from a gunshot wound. Another plaintiff fled through an “employees only” door with a bullet hole in her ankle. Another woman suffered a torn meniscus when she fell over a sign while running from the direction of the gunshots.
All the lawsuits describe scenes of chaos, panic and confusion resulting from the shooting. Those who hid from the gunfire describe being afraid to come out and encountering a scene of first responders in the food court that looked like a “war zone.”
Two lawsuits were filed on behalf of minors injured in the shooting.
In all, 15 people in total suffered injuries from the shooting, none of them fatal.
The lawsuits place blame for the carnage on those managing security at the mall, something that was a concern even before the shooting. One lawsuit cites more than 100 reports of assault, robbery or other violent crimes at the mall in the five years preceding the shooting. In one incident noted in a lawsuit, gunshots had reportedly been fired at the mall only two months earlier.
Another suit quotes online reviews of Columbiana Centre that said safety concerns kept people away from the mall. “Haven’t went back since I heard a gunshot in the food court,” one reviewer said, according to the lawsuit. “The security and cops are a joke at this place,” said another. “Security is terrible don’t ask for help you probably won’t get it!” said a third.
Employees and shop owners at the mall quoted in the suits said mall security was reluctant to intervene in physical altercations or remove unruly patrons and that security cameras inside the mall often were not working.
“We’ve discovered that there were serious breaches in security protocols,” said Vincent Sheheen, a former state lawmaker and the attorney who filed three of the lawsuits. “And we plan to prove that in the cases and hope to recover money to help our victims.”
Columbiana owner Brookfield Properties declined to comment for this story and security firm Andy Frain Services did not respond to requests for comment on Monday. Back in 2022, the mall announced enhanced security measures in the aftermath of the shooting, including a weapon-detecting dog named Carlos to patrol the property.
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