Just shy of a month since one of North Texas’ busiest shopping centers was left reeling from the nation’s second-deadliest mass shooting this year, the Allen Premium Outlets mall is set to begin reopening Wednesday.
Gunfire erupted outside the mall May 6, killing eight people, wounding at least seven others and traumatizing scores more. The gunman was killed by an Allen police officer, who was nearby on an unrelated call.
While some properties have opened sooner in the aftermath of tragedy, the shopping center decided early on it would wait until funerals and memorials for the victims had passed. Those killed were identified as Cho Kyu Song, 37; Kang Shin Young, 35; James Cho, 3; Daniela Mendoza, 11; Sofia Mendoza, 8; Christian LaCour, 20; Elio Cumana-Rivas, 32; and Aishwarya Thatikonda, 26.
“As Allen Premium Outlets reopen and our community continues to work through the process of healing, we will remember those who lost their lives, friends and loved ones,” Allen Mayor Baine Brooks said Tuesday. “We want to support the staff returning to work at the outlets and keep them, their friends and families in our thoughts.
“We all want to stand together to heal, to remember and continue the compassion and care that makes Allen strong.”
Here’s what we know about the reopening thus far.
‘At their own pace’
In a statement, the outlet mall’s owner, Simon Property Group, said its 120 stores and restaurants have the flexibility to resume operations at their own pace.
“As they return to their stores to serve our community, we ask for your continued care and respect,” the statement said, calling the employees who followed their training, locked down their stores and escorted shoppers to safety during the shooting “heroes.”
An Allen Outlets spokeswoman declined to offer an estimate of the number of stores and restaurants expected to reopen Wednesday, but The Dallas Morning News independently confirmed some of those businesses include Banana Republic, J. Crew, Brooks Brothers and Fatburger. Buff City Soap said it will reopen Thursday.
The statement said the center will resume normal hours from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon to 6 p.m. on Sunday.
Increased security
The shopping center said it will increase security for customers and the thousands of employees who work there.
The Allen Police Department operates a substation on the property to support on-site police services, the statement said, noting the outlet mall also has a “comprehensive security and emergency management plan” and conducts multiple drills each year to prepare for critical events.
“As you revisit Allen Premium Outlets, you will see these men and women continuing to keep a watchful eye,” the statement said.
Memorial in the works
A permanent memorial “to honor the victims and to commemorate the enduring strength of the Allen community,” is in the works, according to the mall.
Officials anticipate it will take “several months.”
No additional information about the memorial was immediately available.
