COLORADO SPRINGS, CO — The Colorado Springs Police Department (CSPD) released the identity of a man killed at a shooting at The Citadel Mall on Christmas Eve.
Police say 18-year-old Teryus Thomas of Colorado Springs was killed after two groups of people got into a fight. Police say Thomas was found dead after suffering what appeared to be a gunshot wound and his death is being investigated as a homicide.
The exact cause of death has not been released by the El Paso County Coroner as of writing this article.
Police say no arrests have been made at this time.
One woman and two other men were injured in the shooting but were in stable condition after treatment at local hospitals. According to police, one of those men was a Security Guard at The Citadel Mall who was trying to break up the fight.
On the night of the shooting, police say shots were fired after a fight broke out between two groups inside the mall just after 4:30 pm. The mall was closed until Tuesday following the Sunday night shooting before reopening to guests.
CSPD says this is the 35th homicide in Colorado Springs this year and by this time last year there were 54 homicides. At this time the Colorado Springs Police Department has not arrested anyone connected to the shooting.
In April 2023, News 5 reported a drastic increase in calls for service from police at the mall. Up 60% from 2021 to 2022. With total calls more than double that of Chapel Hills Mall and almost four times as many as The Promenade Shops At Briargate.
The majority of calls to the Citadel Mall from 2021 to 2022 were for shoplifting. Also included on the list were 24 calls for aggravated assault, 33 calls for motor vehicle theft, 11 weapons law violations, and seven calls for kidnapping/abduction.
This is still an active investigation, and anyone with information or who is a witness to this investigation is asked to call the Colorado Springs Police Department at (719) 444-7000; or if you wish to remain anonymous, you may call the Crime Stoppers Tip Line at (719) 634-STOP (7867) or 1-800-222-8477.
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