CONCORD, N.C. — Another teen was shot in the Concord Mills Mall area, leaving neighbors shaken just a month after the deadly shooting that claimed the life of a 13-year-old girl.
The scene of the shooting at the Bexley Square Apartments Thursday afternoon is just walking distance from Concord Mills, which was the scene of that deadly shooting just before the New Year.
It’s unfortunate, but violent crime visited the area again, this time, in the middle of the afternoon.
A 19-year-old was shot in the middle of the apartment complex. Luckily this time, the injuries were not life-threatening.
“It seems like the malls are a congregation spot for young folks with nothing else better to do,” shopper Steve Magyar said.
1 INJURED IN SHOOTING AT CONCORD APARTMENT COMPLEX, POLICE SAY
The deadly Concord Mills Mall shooting shined a light on issues at the mall itself, but after this most recent shooting, many are concerned about crime in the areas surrounding the mall.
The good news is that Concord police tell FOX 46 that, last year, compared with the three years before it, crime was down or the same in all areas, except robberies and homicides.
There were two homicides last year, the deadly shooting at Concord Mills and a construction worker killed in what police said was a deadly DUI crash.
Despite crime being down in the area, within the mall itself, though, there’s been a rise in assaults and thefts.
“To go from one homicide to three in one evening, and obviously we don’t want to go to 6 in another evening,” Concord City Councilman JC McKenzie said.
McKenzie spoke with FOX 46 just after the Concord Mills shooting. City leaders and Concord Mills have been looking into a possible curfew for minors, but so far, no decision has been made.
“This is not what happens in Concord,” McKenzie said.
Police are still looking for the suspect, or suspects involved in the shooting.