As funeral preparations continue for the victims of the Allen Premium Outlets shooting, the shopping center remains indefinitely closed, raising questions about when it should reopen.
Simon Property Group, which owns Allen Premium Outlets, gave no specific dates for the reopening, as reported by The Dallas Express. However, property management told local news outlet WFAA in an email that the mall would remain closed until all funeral services for the eight victims have been held and “the healing process has started.”
It is unclear how long it will take for those two criteria to be met. On Thursday, funeral services were held for three members of the Cho family who were killed in the mass shooting on May 6.
The body of a fourth victim, Aishwarya Thatikonda, was flown to India on Wednesday, and her funeral services, were held there on Thursday, The Times of India reported.
A celebration of life service was held on Monday for Christian LaCour, the security guard who was shot while trying to help others to safety during the shooting.
Funeral services have not yet been announced for the three remaining shooting victims, including the Mendoza sisters, Daniela and Sofia, and Elio Cumano-Rivas.
How long it will take for ‘the healing process to start’ is more difficult to quantify. The city of Allen has never experienced a shooting on this scale before, and the tragedy deeply affected many community members who were at the crowded shopping center on that day. Seven persons were physically injured in the shooting but survived, while countless others suffered emotional trauma.
Simon Property Group, which also owns the Greenwood Park Mall in Indiana, reopened that mall two days after a gunman killed three people there on July 17, 2022.
After the mass shooting at an El Paso Walmart in 2019, that store took three months to reopen its doors.
Though the alleged perpetrator of the Allen Premium Outlets shooting was killed on the scene by an Allen police officer shortly after the killing spree began, investigators are still combing through evidence, trying to find a motive for the heinous crime. They hope finding the answer may bring closure to the victims’ families and aid them in the healing process.
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