The man alleged to have killed an 18-year-old during a shooting at The Citadel Mall on Christmas Eve, 2023, had his trial delayed to February at a hearing Thursday.

Josiah Brown, 23, is facing 11 charges in the shooting. According to court records, Brown faces two counts of first-degree murder, four counts of attempted first-degree murder, four counts of first-degree assault and one count of weapon possession by a previous offender.

Court documents tell of a frenzied scene at The Citadel Mall on Christmas Eve when three people were shot and one, Teryus Thomas, 18, was killed.

According to an arrest affidavit obtained by The Gazette, the incident started when a fight broke out between two groups near Champs Sports around 4 p.m. that day.

The affidavit indicates that investigators had a difficult task to sort out who had the weapons and who used them. Brown was identified as the prime suspect two days later, based on identification from mall employees and his resemblance to the person seen holding a weapon on surveillance footage.

Brown appeared to court on Thursday for a pre-trial readiness hearing. He was originally slated to begin trial on Jan. 21.

Brown’s attorneys indicated they were ready for trial but the prosecution announced it was not ready, requesting a brief delay. Prosecutor Benjamin Hostetter explained the reason for the requested delay was due to issues with the availability of key witnesses and an outstanding motion for a Shreck hearing filed by the defense.

In a Shreck hearing a potential expert will testify only to their experience and qualifications, and a judge will rule if the expert is qualified enough to testify in future proceedings, like a jury trial.

To accommodate the prosecution’s witnesses, Brown’s trial — expected to take two weeks — will now begin on Feb. 18. Brown’s attorneys objected to the continuance.

The Shreck hearing will take place on Jan. 30.