Crown Center’s silence after shooting ‘appalling’ to tenants, who call for communication
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After six people were wounded in a shooting at Crown Center last Wednesday, tenants of the popular shopping center are criticizing management of the facility for failing to publicly address the incident and provide updates to businesses about security.
Nearly a week after the shooting, restaurant and retail managers have not been provided an update from management, even after several attempts from businesses to reach them.
A manager of SPIN! Pizza, a restaurant on the first floor of Crown Center, said after seeing a brief message from the facility four hours after the incident, further attempts to speak with tenant relations have gone unanswered.
“We still haven’t heard anything from Crown Center, they haven’t told us anything,” said Joe Pfannerstill, an area director with SPIN! Pizza. “There’s only so much we can do as restaurants and shops in there to say it’s safe and to acknowledge it, but the lack of communication from… Crown Center is just appalling.”
Several attempts from The Star to reach security at Crown Center were forwarded to other parties and went unanswered. A marketing director at Crown Center eventually responded to decline an interview about security measures following the shooting.
While Crown Center security did not respond to inquiries about its firearms policy, the mall has signs posted at entrances prohibiting weapons, including concealed firearms.
The Star’s office is located in the Crown Center complex.
Crown Center made a post on social media Jan. 19 promoting its Ice Terrace, which prompted some comments from regular visitors who asked for the shopping center to address the incident.
“Crown Center needs to comment on the gun violence that occurred in the food court. The public deserves acknowledgment, and to hear next steps from you,” Julianna Fox wrote on Facebook.
“I’ve regularly taken my kids to Crown Center for over a decade,” she said. “You promote yourself as a place for family fun. Help families feel safe! Tell us what you are doing to prevent further violence.”
‘Heroic’ act by employee celebrated
Pfannerstill said the night of the shooting was stressful, partially because he was not there when it happened.
At about 5:45 p.m., he got a call from a shift leader at the store who told him about the shooting.
“I got there just after (6 p.m.) and they were still trying to evacuate everyone out of the mall,” Pfannerstill said.
When he got through police and security into the restaurant, he took photos of the damage from stray bullets. And tried, as best he could, to help reassure staff of their safety and help them get home.
“A lot of them had their vehicles in the garage, and they actually left them there because they didn’t feel safe enough, yet, to go in there and try to retrieve them,” Pfannerstill said.
After an employee helped drop people off at their respective homes, Pfannerstill stayed another three to four hours to finish closing the restaurant. As he organized the kitchen, police officers and detectives marked stray bullets and broken glass nearby as evidence.
In the days following the shooting, Pfannerstill heard stories from employees who were there as it happened. He said he’s working through how to best support employees after a workplace incident that he never really thought would happen.
“We haven’t really had to deal with something like this at any of our locations,” Pfannerstill said. “There have been fights and arguments break out in the mall but nothing like that.”
A day or so later, Pfannerstill saw a video sent to SPIN! Pizza from a customer who was there at the time of the shooting. Carrine Spinks said she was dining with her son’s father when they began to hear gunfire.
When the shots began, they crouched to hide under the table where they’d been sitting.
“I just want to say that everybody that worked there was gone. … but somebody didn’t leave, and the person that didn’t leave was this amazing, calm, wonderful gentleman,” Spinks said in the video.
Spinks said the employee did not speak English, but did his best to help customers remain calm as some ran to hide in the kitchen and other parts of the restaurant. Another man, a married couple and one other Spanish-speaking employee rode out the shooting and the aftermath in the restaurant, Spinks said.
In the video, Spinks said the employee’s actions, including shutting the gate to the entrance of the restaurant, helped assure them a path to safety in what they originally thought was an active shooter situation.
“That’s a freaking hero — he didn’t have to do that,” Spinks said.
“At one point, I grabbed one of your knives and he very sweetly took it out of my hand.”
Most restaurants remained closed in Crown Center last Thursday, even though the mall opened at noon. Pfannerstill said Friday was a poor day for sales with the mall still fairly empty.
“Overall, I think the team was terrified that day they all left,” Pfannerstill said. “But at 8 a.m. the next day, they were ready to go. Even some of the ones that were there that night showed up, even though the mall was closed — which they didn’t tell us.”
While Pfannersill celebrates the calm and decisive leadership of an employee, he said the circumstances that led to it should have never happened.
“Thankfully no one died and, honestly with that many rounds fired, I’m kind of shocked,” Pfannerstill said. “I don’t know what more they could have done to prevent what happened, but the big thing for me is acknowledgement from Crown Center as a whole of what happened (and) what steps they’re taking, even if it’s just that they’re working with law enforcement.”
“Anything that can just reassure the public that it’s OK to come to Crown Center. … that way people will feel comfortable bringing their families in.”
This story was originally published January 24, 2024 at 6:00 AM.
