On November 26th, a shooting occurred at Coastland Mall in Naples, FL. While nobody was killed, a 16-year-old was shot in the upper leg. This wound was deemed a non-life-threatening injury, but the 16-year-old was still airlifted to Gulf Coast Medical Center.
A suspect has been identified by the police, but so far there has been no arrest as they are still searching for him. The police have released a statement saying that the suspect and victim likely knew each other, which meant the suspect was not labeled as a threat to society.
After the shooting occurred, the security at the mall was quick to respond. Sirens were sounded throughout the mall with a message playing through the speakers urging shoppers to either take cover or evacuate.
For some, the evacuation process was slow and confusing, as it was difficult for many to hear the alarms over the hustle and bustle of the mall. The traffic backup caused by the mass exodus of those evacuating also slowed the evacuation process.
At the time of the evacuation, it was unknown what the threat was as it was only made aware to shoppers that there was an “emergency”.
“The alarms started going off and I barely even noticed it. I had no clue what was going on until I saw people running through the halls towards the exits”, said shopper Logan Yarnell.
The entire Coastland complex was put on lock-down to prevent any potential threat to shops or people still in the mall. The police released another statement showing how no one in the mall was deemed to be in any danger after the event.
“It’s concerning how easily the wrong people can obtain firearms,” said MIA student Andres Rodriguez.
As of Monday morning, the police are still on the hunt for the suspect. Once caught, they will be charged with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon. Despite all the chaos that occurred, Coastland Center will reopen its doors to the public at its planned opening hours come 11 AM on Monday morning.
