New York Mall Shooting: Victim Causes Gridlock In Parking Lot As Shoppers Struggle To Flee The Scene
A New York mall shooting caused Christmas shoppers to flee for their lives, clogging the parking exits and pouring into the streets outside of the Roosevelt Field Mall in Nassau County. Other desperate shoppers hid in Bloomingdales and nearby shops. A jewelry customer was shot inside the Tourneau store, said Carolyn Gusoff from CBS New York. Just the sort of thing New Yorkers are not needing at this time of year, as they try to unwind to celebrate the holiday.
The New York mall is experiencing its busiest time of year because of the holidays. When people are being especially particular, they want to purchase high-end gifts by shopping in person, rather than online.
The shooter entered the New York mall, gaining access to the high-end section of a watch store. The man shot was a 67-year-old mall employee who was immediately taken to the hospital for treatment. The victim’s condition is serious but stable, CNN reports. Nassau County Executive Edward P. Mangano told reporters that the alleged shooter was taken into custody by a mall security guard, shortly after 1:00 p.m. EST, after his bungled robbery.
After the shots were fired, the New York mall was flooded with panicked shoppers darting in every direction trying to escape another possible mass shooting. No one understood what was happening, if it was a terrorist act or a robbery. Although the mall remained open, parts were evacuated and others endured a lockdown. In addition to this disruption, the schools in Garden City were also shut down in order to prevent trauma to the neighboring kids.
A retired NYPD detective and an off-duty NYPD inspector ruined the robber’s day by being in the right place at the right time. The inspector, Kenneth Lehr, denounced his heroism by stating he happened to be there and aided in support, doing what he could to give aid according to the New York Daily News.
Crime seems to run ramped this time of year, becoming increasingly worse across the country as people become more distressed about the economy and going to war. Although Christmas is supposed to be a time of celebration and loving each other, every year the fear encroaches a little more on the people living here.
New York malls are not the only places that crime is breaking out during the season of giving. According to writer Nicole Hensley from the New York Daily News, earlier this month a heist in a California mall’s jewelry store caused pandemonium. The Galleria at Tyler Mall, as reported live by Cristy Fajardo, had more than 100 police officers called in, but the three masked suspects still got away.
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Shoppers walk through an outdoor mall Thursday, Dec. 17, 2015, in Alameda, Calif. (Photo by Ben Margot/AP Images)
[Photo by Frank Eltman/AP Images]
