5th shooting in three years at the upscale Beachwood Place mall renews safety concerns

BEACHWOOD, Ohio (WOIO) - A shooting inside the Beachwood Place mall on Friday is renewing safety concerns at the shopping center, which has seen at least five shootings in the last three years.

Beachwood police said an altercation between two men who appeared to know each other, occurred near Saks Fifth Avenue.

The victim was shot in the leg and ultimately released from the hospital.

The gunman is still on the run.

“It’s hard to say it’s a safe place to be,” said Deb Smith, a nearby resident. “You have to always be on alert and watch your surroundings.”

Smith said she now prefers shopping at smaller shops and businesses.

A former mall employee told 19 News after the shooting that he wasn’t surprised another violent incident took place.

“If you get your standards up, you won’t have that,” said Mac Sexon. “But Beachwood mall let their standards down a bit.”

19 News reached out to the mall, but management referred us to an offsite corporate spokesperson with their parent company, Brookfield Properties.

In a statement, the spokesperson wrote:

“We are disheartened by the isolated incident that occurred at Beachwood Place on Friday evening. Investigation of the incident is currently underway with the Beachwood Police Department, all inquiries are being directed to them. The safety and well-being of our shoppers, tenants and employees is our top priority and we are grateful for their swift action and support in this matter. While we are constantly evaluating our security program, we never disclose our safety protocols as doing so could compromise its effectiveness.”

Anyone with information about the shooter or the incident in general is asked to call Beachwood police.

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