LANCASTER, Pa. — Editor's note: The above video is from Dec. 10, 2021.
A mother and daughter injured in the aftermath of a shooting incident last year at Lancaster's Park City Mall have filed a lawsuit against the shopping center's Chicago-based owner, according to court records.
Lucy A. Mendenhall, of Lancaster, and her daughter, Wendy A. Mendenhall, of Connecticut, were not injured in the Oct. 17, 2021 shooting, but were trampled and injured by other shoppers who fled when the gunfire began.
Their lawsuit, filed in the Lancaster County Court of Common Pleas, names Brookfield Properties for failing to address the potential for violence at Park City Mall.
Park City, like other Brookfield-owned entities, has a "no firearms" policy, but the lawsuit claims that policy was not followed on the day of the incident. It also states that in the five years prior to last year's incident, Park City has had more than 10 fights or other assaults that required a response by police.
In the Oct. 17, 2021 incident, a 16-year-old suspect, Jeremiahs Josiah-Alberto Sanchez, has been charged with shooting three people in the mall during a fight with two others.
Sanchez is being tried as an adult on two counts of attempted homicide, four counts of aggravated assault, and 52 counts of reckless endangerment.
One of the aggravated assault counts concerns Lucy Mendenhall, who was 85 years old at the time of the incident and was injured in the aftermath of the shooting when she was trampled by others who were fleeing from the scene.
The lawsuit does not specify the extent of the injuries suffered by Lucy Mendenhall or her daughter. The plaintiffs are seeking an amount in excess of $50,000.
Sanchez has pleaded not guilty to the charges against him and his attorneys are attempting to have his trial moved to juvenile court.