AUGUSTA, Ga. ()- Following the tragic shooting at the mall on Tuesday, some community members are expressing doubts about the mall’s safety as a venue for shopping and entertainment.
The mall reopened with normal business hours earlier today less than 24 hours since yesterday’s shooting.
But some in the community are questioning the future of the mall, and if it’s a safe place to go after a slew of incidents in recent years.
Anna Dixon says she and her kids have been going to the Augusta mall for years.
But after this most recent incident, she calling for it to be shut down for good.
“I fear for their safety because there’s too much turmoil in Augusta, Georgia. I believe the mall should be closed,” she expressed.
Back in October 2020, we reported a shooting that happened at the Hot Topic store that killed one person and left another injured.
In April last year, shots were fired inside the Dillard’s on a Sunday afternoon that left another person injured.
Then just 3 months later on July 4th, a shooting left another person injured.
“It’s every day. Every day you turn on the tv, turn on the news, and something else is happening in our area,” said Fabian Curry.
While some are calling for the mall to close, others say the mall itself isn’t the problem.
“In my view, closing it isn’t the solution. We need to implement specific programs and initiatives within our community to drive meaningful change. It’s about altering mindsets—currently, those mindsets are in a bad place,” remarked Reverend Dr. Larry Fryer, a local community activist.
As community leaders strive to engage with the youth, we inquired with Sheriff Eugene Brantley regarding the deployment of deputies at the mall prior to the incident and whether there are any plans to enhance security measures in the future.
He says he’s not sure of that plan going forward at least for the moment.
“Anything could be safer than what it is, but that’s not what I’m here to do right now,” Brantley said.
Some in the community are calling for more security measures at the mall, raising the question if metal detectors should be installed.
“You can have a place full of police officers, and people can still bring guns. It’s sad to say, but maybe a metal detector would work,” said Curry.
“It’s going to take our Sheriff’s department, Marshal, mayor, and others continuing to work together to help find solutions,” Fryer said.
Earlier Wednesday morning, deputies arrested a 14-year-old and a 15-year-old after a shooting last night on Druid Park Avenue.
Both are charged with 9 counts of aggravated assault, and investigators believe this shooting is in relation to the deadly shooting at the mall.
We also contacted the mall’s property owners, who stated that they are collaborating with the Sheriff’s Office as the investigation progresses.
