Leaders discuss safety plans after Augusta Mall shootings
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - After recent shootings at the Augusta Mall, News 12 questioned leaders during a commission meeting about plans to keep shoppers safe.
A July Fourth shooting there injured one person.
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It wasn’t the first – or even the second – shooting at the mall.
In April, a gun was brandished during a verbal dispute in the food court.
The shootings raise memories of Regency Mall, which closed after becoming the site of violent crimes.
Its hulking structure has sat as a vacant eyeseore for decades – even though it was built around the same time as Augusta Mall.
Shoppers plead for more security after latest shooting at Augusta Mall
Local shoppers are speaking out in the hope of tightening security after a shooting at the Augusta Mall that injured one on Thursday afternoon.
Despite years of grand promises to turn it into something useful, ranging from an arena to a trendy mixed-use development, it remains a blight, surrounded by abandoned car dealerships, banks and other empty buildings.
Despite at least threatening sanctions on other businesses that have become magnets for crime – places like Level 9 bar – there’s been no talk of that for the mall.
And in the aftermath of a shoot-out on a crowded downtown sidewalk a month ago, some Augustans may be wondering if there’s anywhere safe amid an outbreak of violent crime that’s claimed 170 lives across the CSRA in a little over two years.
While the public safety meeting was not planned to talk about the shooting, we asked if the city should have a role in safety at the mall.
Commissioners are still trying to map out those next steps, including discussing what their role looks like.
The Augusta mayor says the mall is private property and he prefers not to comment on it right now.
He says he wants to see how the sheriff’s office investigation plays out first then move from there.
What’s behind Richmond County’s alarming problem with violent crime?
For months, the news has been peppered with shooting after shooting in Richmond County. And everyday people in everyday places are becoming victims.
Several commissioners agree. They want to see the sheriff’s office and mall security come up with a stricter safety plan.
Commissioners say they haven’t discussed the shooting, but some say they’d like to start having conversations.
“As for the mall, if they want to continue having a mall, we gotta come together and have more security presence inside the mall, as well as outside,” said Commissioner Catherine Smith-McKnight. “This is something that we definitely can get together and discuss. I do know that I look forward to a new sheriff coming on. It’s good to see new ideas and new staff coming on board in January.”
In the past, leaders have threatened businesses that have become the site of several crimes, like Smart Grocery Store and Club Rain. But so far, there hasn’t been talk of that for the mall.
Leaders say it’s not off the table, but they say it could be tricky for them since the mall is private property.
“That’s something I’d have to really look into. I don’t know if we can do that with the mall. But it’s worth looking into. When we have put others like Smart Grocery on probation, it seems that this has been helping out. That’s not off the table. I just don’t know. I don’t have the answer right now as to if we could do that with Augusta Mall,” said Smith-McKnight.
The Richmond County Sheriff’s Office has been tight-lipped about the shooting.
Deputies haven’t released the incident report, and the agency says it’s not talking, “due to the active investigation.”
The mall has been a little more forthcoming.
Augustans rally against gun violence: ‘When does it stop?’
Between the recent shoot-out downtown, another shooting at the Augusta Mall and the murder of a teen on Friday night, some residents say enough is enough.
Mall management called the shooting a “targeted incident” that occurred in the Snipes store.
Snipes is described as a “retail chain with a selection of brand-name urban streetwear and sneakers for men, women and kids.”
It’s on the second floor of the mall, not far from the entrance to the outdoor shopping area.
Dispatchers said the first call came in at 3:38 p.m. Thursday to 3450 Wrightsboro Road. The Richmond County Sheriff’s Office, Central EMS and the Augusta Fire Department responded.
Once there, deputies found a male who’d been shot. He was taken to a local hospital with injuries that weren’t life-threatening, according to officials.
Around 4:10 p.m., several people were seen leaving the mall. Deputies were seen getting brown evidence bags out of their patrol cars.
Mall officials said Monday they want the public to know that shopping is safe.
But they said there may not be visible evidence of action on their part because a most of it is going on behind the scenes.
“We want to assure our community that we have a comprehensive security program that we constantly review and evaluate,” the mall said. “Most initiatives happen behind-the-scenes and are not visible to the public, and it is our company policy to not speak publicly about our security initiatives, as doing so could jeopardize its effectiveness.”
The mall repeated a statement that guns and “weapons of any kind” are strictly prohibited.
The mall wasn’t clear on how that’s enforced, though.
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“Additionally, we have a close working relationship with the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office, and we are thankful for their ongoing and responsiveness. For further questions, we need to direct you to Richmond County Sheriff’s Office as they are leading this investigation.”
Just after Thursday’s shooting, News 12 saw floods of people running out of the mall and a lot of frustration from shoppers looking for holiday deals.
It’s a situation many say is unforgettable, but unfortunately not surprising.
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