Panic in two shopping centers in New York: people mistook the sounds of fireworks for shooting
'06.06.2022'
Nadezhda Verbitskaya
Shoppers enjoying a Saturday afternoon at the mall panicked when they heard loud bangs. People thought that someone was shooting nearby, reports NBC New York.
Such was the situation in not one, but two malls in New York. Police said the fireworks were set off inside malls in two different neighborhoods. For many, the loud explosions have been associated with recent mass shootings in Buffalo, Uvalda and Tulsa, where several people were killed in public places.
Fireworks caused panic at the Kings Plaza Mall in Brooklyn and the Bay Plaza Mall in the Bronx. Both incidents occurred within hours of each other on Saturday (June 4) afternoon.
In both cases, evacuation was first announced. But soon the police considered each of them a false alarm, not finding any threat to buyers.
We want the community to know there was NO active shooter today @KingsPlazaMall # Brooklyn @NYPDDetectives are on scene and working with Mall security / management and have determined this to be fireworks@KingsPlazaMall reopening very shortly. pic.twitter.com/an5gRFgHP3
— NYPD 63rd Precinct (@NYPD63Pct) June 4, 2022
“You have to walk and look around, not knowing what will happen next. It's scary,” said Barbara, a shopper from Brooklyn.
Police said both incidents turned out to be fireworks set off inside malls. After the evacuation, the police searched and cleared the malls to reopen. Investigators are looking into whether the events at each mall were connected in any way.
The police are still looking for whoever set off the fireworks.
On the subject: 911 dispatcher cuts off call from supermarket worker during Buffalo shooting: now she can be fired
“I had a child with me. Now imagine that I am there and hear these sounds,” said Lexi from Crown Heights.
The new mother said the recent and repeated mass shootings across the country had become too frequent. And she really hopes that Saturday's incident will lead to change.
“We need security in shopping malls. Not just people walking around, but checkpoints where bags have to be checked,” she said.