Mall evaluates security protocols following shooting
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ATLANTA, GA (WGCL ) — Bullets darted through the middle the food court at Cumberland Mall Saturday this weekend following an argument between teenagers.
Some terrified shoppers were able to record a cell phone video while ducking to hide.
Police have arrested 18-year-old Zaire Dhanoolal and 19-year-old Joweer Ponce for shooting 18-year-old Ethan Green and pointing a gun at another man in the middle of this crowd.
In the video, some security guards can be seen scattering with the customers.
What they could have done is what anybody could have done. You hide you fight or you flee.
CBS46 asked Cumberland Mall officials if security guards are equipped for dangerous events like shootings.
“The mall security is there as a visual deterrent,” said crime scene investigator Sheryl McCollum. “They are going to be there for lost children. They’re going to be there if an elderly person can’t remember what side of the mall they left their car. But, they are certainly not trained to deal with a mass shooting.”
She says mall cops have to call 911 like everyone else.
“They’re civilians just like everybody else at that mall,” McCollum said. “The only training they have is at their corporation and the majority of it has probably been done on a computer.”
There were few guards in the mall, Monday afternoon when CBS46 went. They were not armed. The mall manager would not confirm or deny if the mall has armed guards, but most do not. The manager did tell CBS46 that they do have a comprehensive security plan in place and will not disclose any details.
Security consistently patrolled through the parking lot of the mall.
“I’m sure that’s something they are doing right now–they are trying to figure out how can we keep our clientele, our customers, the safest,” McCollum said of mall management. “How can we work better with law enforcement? How can we better train our people? And, maybe that they need to go to armed guards. It may be that they need to invite the police department to become their security,” McCollum went on.
CBS46 reached out to the Brookfield Properties spokesperson about mall security changes following the shooting. The company owns Cumberland and more than 150 other malls.
“Cumberland Mall has a robust, customized security program that we are constantly reviewing and evaluating,” spokesperson Lindsay Kahn told CBS46’s Hayley Mason. “However, it is against our company policy to publicly discuss our security protocols because doing so could compromise its effectiveness,” Kahn added.
Green is recovering from his injuries.
Cobb County Police say Dhanoolal is charged with two counts of felony aggravated assault. Ponce is charged with two misdemeanors — reckless conduct and carrying a concealed weapon without a permit.
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