Parents of Elijah Dewitt sue mall where he was killed

The parents of slain Georgia high school football star Elijah Dewitt are suing the mall where he was killed, claiming its owners ignored serious safety risks to their son’s ultimate detriment.

Dewitt, 18, was fatally shot on Oct. 5 outside of a Dave & Busters in an attempted robbery outside the Sugarloaf Mills Malls in Lawrenceville, Georgia. 

With full knowledge of the “dangerous and hazardous conditions,” the mall
“negligently represented to its invitees that the Premiers were properly maintained and reasonably safe,” lawyers for Dewitt’s parents Craig and Dawn said in their suit filed in the State Court of Gwinnett County.

The suit names Simon Property Group, Sugarloaf Mills Limited Partnership, Universal Protection Service, the mall’s security director Jason Choy, Dave & Busters of Georgia and five John Does as defendants. 

Dewitt’s parents are seeking compensatory damages on four counts under Georgia law: failure to keep the premises safe; allowing and maintaining a nuisance; voluntary undertaking and negligent hiring, training, supervision and retention.

“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,” the DeWitt family’s lawyer Michael Rafi told The Post in a statement. “These Defendants did not warn or keep people safe.”

Kemare Bryan, 18, and Chandler Richardson, 19, were each charged with four felonies for allegedly gunning him down.

Bryan pleaded not guilty last month to the charges of malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony. Richardson is being arraigned Friday, after which Dewitt’s parents will hold a press conference on the suit.

“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,” the grieving mom and dad told The Post in a statement. “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.”

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. 

Dewitt had been at the Dave & Busters with his girlfriend Bailey Reidling right before his death.

Reidling said she discovered him in a pool of blood in the parking lot of the entertainment center after she went to the bathroom.

A rising football star, DeWitt had been nicknamed “Eazy E” by NFL star Cam Newton and attended Jefferson High School in Jackson County.