Harper Woods— A day after a shooting at Eastland Center left two people wounded, including a store employee, merchants worried the recent violence at or near the mall will kill the holiday season.
"Why would [[shoppers) choose this mall, when they can go to another mall where nothing's happening?" asked Will Lazri, owner of Dollar Land at Eastland. "This is not good for business."
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The mall had light traffic Sunday on what normally is a brisk shopping day during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend.
The shooting, which left terrified shoppers and employees scrambling and ducking for cover, is the third at the mall in two months.
On Friday, shots rang out at a bus stop. In September, a man was shot dead while sitting in his car outside a mall entrance.
Representatives for Jones Lang LaSalle, the company that manages the mall, and Harper Woods Police refused to comment on Saturday's shooting.
Ellen Hines-Johnson, an 82-year-old Detroit resident, went to Eastland, on Eight Mile near Interstate 94, to shop with her daughter and three grandsons.
"I brought my grandsons along for two reasons," she said Sunday morning. "One, for protection and, two, to carry the groceries."
Hines-Johnson wasn't alone in her concern following Saturday's shooting.
Felicia Maximin of Ontario said she wouldn't have gone to the mall if she had heard about the shooting.
"I come here all the time, but I wouldn't be here if I had heard," said Maximin, 25. "I thought this was a nice place to shop."
Around 6 p.m. Saturday, two groups of youths started arguing. Soon after, shots were fired, leaving shoppers terrified.
Witnesses told police two members of one of the groups pulled out handguns and fired four to six rounds, striking an 18-year-old male in the chest. A second victim, a 35-year-old mall employee, was shot in the leg while standing in front of his store.
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From The Detroit News:
http://detnews.com/article/20101129/...#ixzz16gBc208N