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Appeals Court Revives Wrongful Death Suit Against Colorado Springs Taco Bell Over 2023 Shooting
A Colorado appeals court has reinstated a wrongful death lawsuit against a Taco Bell franchisee, finding that a pattern of 47 police calls to the Colorado Springs location could show the company knew of foreseeable danger before a man was shot and killed in its parking lot in 2023.
A wrongful death and premises liability lawsuit against a Taco Bell franchisee in Colorado Springs will proceed after the Colorado Court of Appeals reversed a lower court's dismissal, finding that the company may have known about frequent criminal activity on its property before a fatal shooting in June 2023.
The suit was filed by Talija Campbell, widow of Qualin Campbell, who was shot and killed outside the Taco Bell on the city's east side. According to the complaint, Campbell had driven to a neighboring KFC during his lunch break. As he received his food, an unhoused man got into his car. Campbell then drove next door to the Taco Bell, which shares a parking lot with the KFC, parked, and texted his wife to call 911. He also called 911 himself, the suit states.
The man grabbed Campbell's firearmâhow is unclearâand fired several rounds. Three bullets struck Campbell; a fourth was aimed at the man's own head. Both Campbell and the unnamed man died.
The lawsuit, filed in 2025, named KBP Brands, a Taco Bell franchisee, and Harman Management Company, which operated the former KFC, as defendants. The El Paso County District Court dismissed all claims against both companies, reasoning that prior incidentsâincluding concealed weapon, assault, and harassment casesâwould not have put Taco Bell on notice that a killing could occur. The district court also found it implausible that a security guard on Taco Bell's property would have prevented a chain of events that began at the KFC next door and ended in a car in the shared parking lot.
But the appeals court ruled Thursday that Talija Campbell's claims against the Taco Bell franchisee can stand, though it dismissed claims against the KFC operator because Campbell was killed outside the Taco Bell. The appellate panel wrote that the allegations, if proven, "are sufficient facts to suggest that Taco Bell knew or should have known about the frequent criminal activity on its premises."
The complaint alleges that from March 2022 until the shooting, the Colorado Springs Police Department received 47 calls for incidents at the Taco Bell, including harassment and threats, disorderly conduct, and assault. Talija Campbell argues the franchisee failed to engage security personnel or implement other sufficient measures to protect customers despite that history.
The case will now return to the district court for further proceedings. The ruling does not determine liability but allows the widow's negligence claim to move forward, a decision that could shape how much responsibility businesses in Colorado bear for foreseeable violence on or near their properties.