Parents Sue Mall, Security Firm Over Teen’s Killing

The parents of 17-year-old Martha Odom, killed in an April shooting at the Mall of Louisiana, have filed a wrongful-death and negligence lawsuit against the mall’s owner and manager, its security contractor and the accused shooter, Markel Lee. Four teens who were with Odom also joined the suit: two were wounded, while two say they suffered severe emotional distress. The plaintiffs allege the mall and its security providers failed to take reasonable precautions despite prior violence at the property, including by not staffing or adequately monitoring the food court. Lee, who was 17 at the time, has been charged as an adult and has pleaded not guilty; the allegations in the civil lawsuit have not been established in court.