'It's not worth it:' Some shoppers won't return after Easton shooting, others feel safe

Sunday's fatal shooting at Easton Town Center illustrates the challenge of preventing gunfire at shopping centers, which has been on the rise for several years.

The shooting, allegedly by a 13-year-old, occurred despite widespread security, a prohibition against guns at the center, and a mall policy requiring those under 16 to be accompanied by an adult.

Shooting: What we know about the Easton Town Center shooting

"Because it's an open environment and people are invited to come in, it's very difficult to control when someone brings something in a concealed manner," said David Levenberg, owner of Center Security Services, a Florida-based security firm that specializes in retail security.

Easton's shooting marks the third summer in a row of gunfire in a Columbus shopping center, and the latest in a string of such shootings throughout the nation.

Retail establishments are the second-most-common sites of mass shootings, behind workplaces, according to the Violence Project database. Between 1966 and 2000, 29 mass shootings took place in U.S. retail sites. Nine of them occurred between 2016 and 2020, including a 2019 shooting at a Walmart in El Paso, Texas, that left 23 people dead.

Since then, several more shootings have occurred in shopping centers, including a shooting at a Texas mall in May that left nine people dead, and a shooting last month at a Lansing, Michigan, shopping center that left two dead and five wounded.

More: Mall shootings rare, and most calls at three largest Columbus malls are unrelated to crime

Columbus hasn't been immune. Last summer, one person was fatally shot at the Mall at Tuttle Crossing and the summer before, gunfire erupted twice in two weeks at Polaris Fashion Place, though no one was injured in either shooting.

Levenberg said shopping center operators are increasingly worried about violence overall and gunfire in particular.

"It definitely is a rising concern," he said. "It’s not always been like this ... In the past, shoplifters might run or try to fight, but they typically wouldn’t pull out a weapon; that’s different. The retail environment is experiencing an escalating frequency of firearms and injuries to their own employees."

In a survey last year, 58% of respondents to a National Retail Federation survey said they are increasingly concerned over "mass violence/active assailants" while 53% said gun violence is a growing concern.

Levenberg noted that there's no magic solution but said some of the new measures shopping center operators are taking include gun-sniffing dogs; facial-recognition cameras; and parental escort policies, which Easton has had since 2020.

Shopping centers also must balance customer safety with what is acceptable to customers.

"If you look at gun detectors, for example, the industry’s torn," Levenberg said. "This is an effective tool but from a customer standpoint, that's not feasible at this point."

Facial recognition technology can also be effective, but raises privacy concerns among customers, he said.

In a statement issued Monday, Easton said the shopping center is constantly reviewing and adjusting its security procedures.

"With more than 25 million customer visits a year, Easton prides itself on being a safe place for the community. Our commitment to security is unwavering and significant resources are devoted to ensuring safety. Easton Town Center maintains significant property-wide state-of-the-art electronic video surveillance including hundreds of cameras and 200 Guest Call for Assistance stations throughout the property. ...

"Easton’s Public Safety Officers monitor safety on foot, by car and by bicycle and are always present. Easton employs special duty Columbus Police Officers as part of our extended team in addition to the regular duty Columbus Police personnel assigned to our area seven days a week."

Actual shootings at Easton are fairly rare. In 2019 a man sought help at an Easton store after being shot in a domestic dispute. In 2017 a woman was shot while in Victoria's Secret PINK store at Easton.

Jason Marshman, 19, said he was visiting AMC Easton to see “Blue Beetle” with a friend for National Cinema Day when Sunday's shooting occurred. The pair were shopping at the mall’s Barnes & Noble before their 7 p.m. movie when, around 6:30 p.m., they saw commotion outside.

Marshman said he saw a crowd of no less than 50 teens running away from the mall. “My friend thought it might be a fire but we both knew it was a shooting.”

Marshman also indicated that the shrieks of a mother and a little boy running from the mall confirmed for him that the commotion must be the result of a shooting and not a fire.

"I don't know how to (describe) it but the way she cried I knew someone was hurt or dead, it wasn't like she escaped a burning mall, it was like she witnessed something," Marshman said.

Marshman and his friend ran toward Easton Commons Apartments and kept running down Easton Way before getting picked up at Easton Loop minutes after. He said he later heard the incident arose from a fight between the suspected shooters and the victim.

Eddie Harris of Gahanna was also at the movies with his daughters when the shooting occurred. Security guards evacuated the theater, which was orderly, but as customers exited Easton's main building, "it became chaotic, absolutely chaotic," he said.

Harris, who has a background in law enforcement, said the incident will change the way his family, especially his 15-year-old daughter, shops.

"For us, because we still have control over our youngest one, she and her friends would walk about the mall with us nearby, that’s going to stop," he said. "Who wants to risk that sort of activity? We’re not doing that anymore, it’s not worth it."

Monday morning at Easton saw light traffic, not surprising for early in the day. Shoppers were already carrying bags filled with purchases, and young children were having photos taken in front of the giraffe outside the Legoland Discovery Center store. A security vehicle sat near the Levi's store on the mall south side.

Scott Neff, executive operating partner at Fado Irish Pub and Restaurant, said he has fewer safety concerns at Easton than he does at other locations in Atlanta and Chicago and Philadelphia, where he said his head's on a swivel when he visits Philadelphia's two Center City locations.

He said he's happy with Easton security and Columbus police. As for fallout from Sunday's shooting, he said: "Do I think it will affect consumer behavior some? It depends what the news has."

At Easton's Town Square, Richard and Carolyn Harris of Reynoldsburg were sitting near the fountain waiting for friends to join them for lunch at the Cheesecake Factory.

They had not heard about Sunday's shooting. They wondered how it would affect visitor traffic.

"People don't go when they don't feel safe," said Mr. Harris, 71. He recalled incidents at Columbus City Center, the former Downtown mall. In May 1994, a teen was killed there in what was described as a gang-related shooting.

"It started the downward spiral for sure," Mr. Harris said.

Mrs. Harris said they used to visit City Center during Christmas season. But they stopped. "It wasn't worth it," she said.

Nearby, Ohio State student Megan Graeler was writing on her laptop. She said violence has been happening everywhere in the country. "If I were to think about it more often, if I did, I feel I'd be holed up in my apartment all the time," said Graeler, a 20-year-old junior who lives near campus.

Melanie Ryan, 43, of Pickerington, went to Hollister and American Eagle to find a shirt. She says she feels comfortable at Easton during the day. But not at night.

Tim Bishop, 64, of Dublin, said he and his friends used to go the AMC movies many Sunday nights for about 10 years. But he said they stopped going a year ago for safety reasons. The only reason he was there Monday was because he was making a delivery to a store.

Jimmy Diorio, 68, of North Linden, said he often visits Easton. He said he feels safe when there are large numbers of visitors. He doesn't think there's enough security on weekends.

But Cody Ballard, 36, of New Albany, said he feels safe there. He said he visits four or five times a week.

"Anything can happen anywhere," he said.

Dispatch reporter Grace Tucker contributed to this report.

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@MarkFerenchik

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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Some shoppers won't return after Easton shooting, others feel safe