ALLEN — The Allen Premium Outlets opened Wednesday morning for the first time since the May 6 shootings at the open-air mall.
Shoppers were allowed into businesses around 9:52 a.m. amid tight security. Barricades were removed, allowing a steady stream of shoppers to enter the parking lots and the stores.
The Allen Police Department has a substation on the property.
Hours for the 120 shops varied, with some deciding to open late and close early. Some chose to remain closed. Regular business hours were listed as 10 a.m.-8 p.m. and noon-6 p.m. Sunday.
Simon Property Group, owner of Allen Premium Outlets, kept the shops closed for more than three weeks after the shooting.
“As they return to their stores to serve our community, we ask for your continued care and respect,” the Simon Property Group said in a statement.
The shopping center closed after a gunman killed eight people and injured seven others at the shopping center located about 30 miles northeast of downtown Dallas in Collin County. An Allen police officer shot and killed the gunman.
Those killed were 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.
LaCour was a security guard for Allen Premium Outlets.
A permanent memorial for the victims is being planned, but no timeline has been released for its completion.
An Allen High School teacher, Katelyn Reed, organized a group to deliver gift baskets to stores and their employees.
“It’s better to do something, than nothing. When you do nothing, I think it can leave the assumption that you don’t care. And even if we say the wrong thing, at least we’ve said something,” Reed told Dallas TV station WFAA. “It’s about [the employees] and letting them know they are cared for and loved and seen.”
