‘Ensuring a Safe and Secure Shopping Environment Is Key for Retailers,' NRF Says
A shooting at the Brass Mill Center in Waterbury, Conn. that injured five individuals is the latest incident at a shopping mall involving teenagers.
A 19-year-old Waterbury, Conn. resident, Tajuan Washington, turned himself into the Waterbury Police headquarters late Tuesday evening. Police officials said the preliminary investigation indicates this was not a random act of violence. They said evidence suggests that the shooting stemmed from a dispute between individuals known to each other 'which escalated into gunfire.'
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Four females and one male between the ages of 20 and 26, whose names were not released, were injured in the gunfire. Three of the victims were treated and released from the hospital. Two others are still receiving medical care and are in stable condition.
Mall safety has been in the news for other reasons. On Saturday, the Woodbridge Center Mall in Woodbridge, N.J., closed early on Saturday, after hundreds of teenagers turned up there after a TikTok meet-up at a nearby carnival reached capacity. Media requests to Woodbridge Center and Spinoso Real Estate Group, which leases and manages the 1.7 million-square-foot complex, were not returned Wednesday.
In another incident this month, six minors, who were among the 300 teenagers who turned up on May 19 at the Menlo Park Mall in Edison, N.J., were arrested for disorderly conduct, and another individual was charged with aggravated assault on an officer.
Asked about whether such incidents are increasingly becoming a concern, the National Retail Federation's vice president of asset protection and retail operations David Johnston said Wednesday, 'Acts of violence or disorderly behaviors have no place in a retail environment. Retailers continuously train their employees regarding how to respond to various safety-related situations and work with law enforcement and private security partners to ensure a quick and appropriate response. The number-one priority for retailers is ensuring a safe and secure shopping environment for both customers and workers.'
Washington has been charged with risk of injury to a child, criminal use of a weapon, five counts of assault in the first degree, illegal discharge of a firearm, reckless endangerment in the first degree, carrying a pistol without a permit and illegal possessions of weapons in a motor vehicle.
Founded in 1997, Brass Mill Center, which has approximately 95 businesses listed on its site, was closed to the public Wednesday. Aéropostale, Dick's Sporting Goods, Snipes, Finish Line, Burlington and JCPenney are among the retailers. The shopping center was searched and cleared by the Waterbury Police Department in conjunction with the Connecticut State Police. It poses no threat to the public, according to officials.
A representative at Brass Mill Center declined to comment, when asked if security was being increased due to Tuesday's incident. A media request to Summit Properties USA was not immediately returned on Wednesday.
In late March, a few hundred people descended on the Mall at Bay Plaza in the Bronx with young-looking shoppers carousing and running through the complex, based on a TikTok video. Representatives at the Mall at Bay Plaza and its owner and developer, Prestige Properties and Development Co., did not acknowledge media requests Wednesday.
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