Editor’s note: An earlier version of this online story wrongly attributed a warning sent out by Peterson Space Force Base as having come from the Air Force Academy. 

It was an emotional scene inside the courtroom Monday as an El Paso County judge handed down a 14-year prison sentence for the man who fatally shot an 18-year-old on Christmas Eve 2023 at The Citadel mall.

Josiah Brown, 23, faced nearly a dozen charges in the shooting that left Teryus Thomas dead. According to court records, Brown faced 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.

Earlier this year, Brown went through 2 1/2 weeks of trial and two days of jury deliberation before the case ended in a mistrial. According to Brown’s defense attorney, Michael Callahan, nine of the jurors believed Brown was not guilty. Four of the jurors later reached out to Brown’s family and one came to a status conference after the trial to see if the case had been dismissed.

Instead of beginning a second trial Brown signed a plea agreement in late April, pleading guilty to first-degree assault with extreme indifference and reckless manslaughter. All other charges, including the first-degree murder counts, were dismissed, according to court records. Callahan said signing this plea agreement was Brown’s way of accepting responsibility.

Brown was sentenced Monday to 14 years in prison for the assault charge, while the manslaughter charge brought 12 years. In addition, Brown was on probation for multiple other crimes at the time of the shooting and was resentenced for those accordingly.

The sentences will run concurrently, meaning Brown will spend 14 years in the Department of Corrections followed by three years of mandatory parole.

Court documents obtained by The Gazette after the shooting painted a chaotic scene at the mall that day. Three people were shot and Thomas was killed.

It was revealed during Monday’s hearing Brown had a twin brother killed in a nearly identical way. Callahan said Brown’s brother was killed by gunfire during a car show at The Citadel mall in 2022. Brown held him in his final moments, leaving him traumatized, Callahan said. The night Thomas was killed was the first time Brown had been back since his brother’s murder.

The fatal Christmas Eve shooting brought new attention to safety and security concerns at The Citadel mall. In March 2024, the Gazette and News5 hosted a solutions-based town hall forum titled “Crime and Community,” at the Imagination Celebration’s “Celebration Place,” at The Citadel.

In July of that same year, all service members in the Colorado Springs area were temporarily banned from visiting The Citadel mall. City leaders gathered the following month to discuss a new path forward.

Most recently, the Peterson Space Force Base issued a warning about potential violence at a Juneteenth event at The Citadel.

On Monday, Judge Catherine Mitchell Helton heard nearly two hours of victim impact and character statements before reaching her decision. Nearly all statements were given through tears and with hands shaking. Several letters were sent into the court, including from two jurors from the mistrial.

Symone Normore, Thomas’ girlfriend, was five weeks pregnant when the father of her baby was killed. Forced to navigate the pregnancy alone, the single mother said, “This was not just a life lost.”

“(Thomas) was my best friend, and we truly believed we were soulmates,” Normore said. “My son will never be able to meet or feel his father’s love.”

Thomas’ 11-month-old son has attended every hearing with his mother. After sentencing, his son was seen outside the courthouse grabbing onto his grandmother’s shirt with Thomas’ face plastered over it, saying “da-da.”

Brown himself became a father at the age of 15. Many of the character statements given on his behalf mentioned his child and how they will now grow up without a dad for a number of years.

Katona Normore, Symone Normore’s sister according to public records, also took the stand to urge Helton to impose the maximum sentence. Despite the mistrial, she thanked the prosecutors for their work.

“You did not fail us, the system did,” Katona Normore said.

After the sentence came down, Thomas’ mother, Chere Gilchrist, echoed the words of Katona Normore.

“I feel like the prosecution did really good and I don’t understand what happened,” Gilchrist said. “I feel like we were in two different trials; there is no way they really wanted to let him go after what he did.”

Tensions were high inside the courtroom Monday, with Brown at one point making a heated statement and needing to be escorted out for a few minutes to calm down. Both families took up nearly every row in the courtroom. Weeping was heard throughout the the hearing, and boxes of tissues were quickly depleted. Several people left the courtroom at times to avoid making a scene.

Several family members and friends spoke on Brown’s behalf, urging Helton to give him leniency in sentencing. Someone who called Brown a brother said he “truly believes” this was just a matter of him being “in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

“He always been there for me, he taught me life lessons,” Jordan Sanders said through tears. “I wish the court could see him the way I see him.”

Another family friend, Shannon Michaud, acknowledged the grief the victim’s family is still working through and “hopes they will have peace soon.” She urged Helton for a shorter sentence, saying Brown has expressed deep regret to her.

“He has compassion and sympathy and empathy,” Michaud said. “He has dreams and he has goals. I know if given the chance, he will be a productive member of his community.”

The prosecution requested the maximum sentence of 15 years, saying Brown remains a public safety risk due to his criminal history involving weapons. At the time of the Christmas Eve shooting, Brown was on probation and barred from possessing a firearm.

Brown made a brief statement that was difficult to understand through his mumbling. He told the courtroom that looking back on his actions two years ago is “difficult,” but he knows he will continue to grow as a person throughout his prison sentence.

“I accept full accountability for my actions and I will accept this sentence,” Brown said.

Gazette reporter Grace Brajkovich contributed to this report.