Mall Sends Wrong Emergency Alert To Retailers During Robbery, Prompting Scare Over Active Shooter

(KHOU-11)

Being inside a store when the gates clang down and having employees rush you into a back storeroom is bound to be a scary experience. And it was one that was totally unnecessary at a mall in Houston, after mall management accidentally sent an emergency alert to retailers warning of an active shooter on the premises, instead of a smash-and-grab robbery at a jewelry store.

A group of children and their parents were inside the mall’s Build-a-Bear at the time, reports KHOU-11 (warning, link has video that auto-plays), when the manager threw down the gates and herded the group to a storage room.

“They were screaming, ‘We have to get in the back, there’s a shooter,’ ” said one mom.

But when one of the parents called another mom walking through the food court, nothing seemed to be amiss.

“No security guard, there was no announcement from the mall or anything like that,” said the woman who’d been in the food court. She adds that now she’s concerned over what could happen in a real emergency, as no one took action after the alert was sent out.

A mall spokesperson released a new statement on Tuesday confirming that there was never an active shooter:

“We have a system in place, including training, for getting shoppers to safety in the event an actual shooter was in the mall. As we mentioned yesterday, there was never an active shooter and the message that went out was incorrectly broadcasted and subsequently corrected. Our tenants are provided with recommended emergency guidelines on how to handle various scenarios. Every situation is different, so I couldn’t provide you with exact wording to a particular situation. I do want to emphasize that safety and security are always our top priorities, every day — not just when incidents occur.”

Though it’s unclear, it’s possible that the other stores in the mall received the “corrected” message while the group inside the Build-a-Bear was still hiding, which could account for the lack of action in other parts of the mall. The spokesperson didn’t go into detail about whose job it is to secure people in common areas, but did say it wasn’t necessary this time because it was a false alarm.

Wrong emergency alert sent out in mall sparks concern [KHOU-11]

by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist