Recently implemented security upgrades at The Citadel mall have prompted a response from the mother of a girl who was paralyzed in a 2022 shooting at the shopping center.

“I think it took too long,” Marjorie Bell said at a Thursday Zoom news conference. “Why did it take 2½ years for (mall ownership) to finally do something?”

On May 22, 2022, 12-year-old Makayla Anderson was shopping at The Citadel when an argument between two groups erupted into gunfire. Anderson, who was reportedly waiting for a ride home, was struck in the chest by a bullet.

As a result of her injuries, Makayla is paralyzed from the waist down and has lost partial use of her right arm, Bell said.

Last year, Stewart Miller Simmons, an Atlanta-based law firm representing Bell and her daughter filed a lawsuit against Citadel Mall Realty, Mason Asset Management and Namdar Realty, alleging substandard security practices that the law firm said led to the shooting.

“These (recent) changes could easily have been done years ago, and were needed years ago,” attorney L. Chris Stewart said of the case that is ongoing.

The city of Colorado Springs is hosting a community conversation 4-6 p.m. Friday at Zeal Church on the mall’s west side. Doors open at 3:30 p.m. The event will focus on safety and ensuring the mall is a welcoming hub.

The event will feature City Councilwoman Nancy Henjum, Colorado Springs Police Chief Adrian Vasquez, Kevin Chadrjian from Namdar, city officials and mall tenants.

In July, the Armed Forces Disciplinary Control Board placed the shopping center on its list of establishments that are off-limits to active-duty service members. The board — consisting of representatives from Fort Carson, Evans Army Community Hospital, Peterson Space Force Base, Schriever Space Force Base and the Air Force Academy — has since lifted the ban, placing the mall on a three-month probation.

The Citadel’s ownership group this week released a list of security improvements and updates, including repairs to its doors, lighting and emergency public address system; an increase in overall security hours (including armed security personnel); and a full review of on-site security policy.

Stewart said on Thursday that Namdar Realty made the improvements only because its bottom line was threatened.

“It’s good that the military prompted these changes by barring their soldiers from going to the mall,” he said.

“What that shows you, and what we’re learning throughout our lawsuit, is that The Citadel mall and Namdar Realty only care about money. They put profits over people. So when they saw a large segment of their potential patrons were no longer going to be able to frequent the mall, suddenly there’s a bunch of security updates and changes.”

Kelley Simoneaux, a Washington, D.C.-based spinal cord injury attorney who also represents Bell and her daughter as part of the same lawsuit, said Makayla probably will need significant care for the rest of her life, at great expense to the family.

“There’s no break for the family, there’s no day off, and it’s lifelong,” Simoneau said. “We’re going to make sure that the defendants in this case truly understand that impact.”

Her mobility severely limited, Makayla gets around with the aid of an electric wheelchair, which she can operate with her fingers, Stewart said.

“She’ll never walk again. She’ll never use that arm again,” he said. “But hopefully these (security) changes will prevent another Makayla from occurring in the future.”

The Citadel, which opened in 1972 at the northwest corner of Platte Avenue and Academy Boulevard, is one of the Springs’ two enclosed regional shopping malls. Like many similar malls nationwide, The Citadel has taken hits over the years as brick-and-mortar retailers, who compete with Amazon and other online marketplaces, have closed, downsized or relocated to new and trendier shopping centers.