A shooting and stabbing occurred at the Mall of Georgia located in Buford, GA on Sept. 2.

This incident caused a lot of panic within the mall. An employee at Von Maur who was present during the incident said, “There was a customer that was talking to me…and she’s like yeah, I’m going to Macy’s. Then all of the sudden not even 30 minutes later, she runs into Von Maur and says she saw someone smashing glass and they probably had a gun. Loss Prevention was called and they told the floor manager, so they locked off the mall entrance gates into the store.”

WSBTV states, the “suspect ran inside the Macy’s and started smashing counters inside the store with a crowbar and taking the jewelry.” David Walker, a Macy’s employee, was stabbed in the process of trying to stop the suspect, who has been identified as Jose Reyes-Serrano. Walker’s injuries were described as “life-threatening” as he was stabbed multiple times.

The Gwinnett County Police told WSBTV, “the suspect escaped in a pickup truck, but officers spotted the truck and rammed the vehicle. The suspect got out and ran.” Reyes-Serrano was shot while in pursuit. The victim and the suspect were taken to a local hospital and expected to recover.

With this situation occurring, it leaves shoppers wondering if the Mall of Georgia is going to become the next Lenox Mall. A shopper says, “it makes me uncomfortable to take my kids there. For me, no, because it was one instance.” Some don’t feel threatened by the shooting and stabbing. Another shopper hopes that this event stays as a one-time occurrence because the mall is great for shopping and a popular hangout spot for the younger generation.

This wasn’t Reyes-Serrano’s first run-in with law enforcement either. In 2019, he had many warrants for his arrest. 11Alive states, “the warrants state he intentionally slammed a door on his sister’s hand, causing her injury and resulting in a family violence battery charge. In that same incident, he was also given a criminal trespass damage charge for storming into his brother’s room and causing damage to his wall.”