Shoppers return to their vehicles days after Allen outlet mall shooting
ALLEN (CBSNewsTexas.com) – The pain of what happened at the Allen outlet mall on Saturday was spread among well over 1,000 shoppers who were there when the attack happened.
Today, the process to get those shoppers back to their cars continued.
The FBI worked with the Allen Police Department to bus shoppers back to the outlet mall, clearing the way for them to access their vehicles.
There, shoppers were checked in and escorted by security to their vehicles. Shopping areas remained closed.
For some, it was an emotional return to a scene of sheer terror.
Shopper Shawn Patterson – a veteran of the Iraq War – was out shopping for Mother's Day when he heard shots being fired. He raced to get children and families cleared from a playground area when he heard the gunshots.
Patterson said he watched the gunman shoot at others. He called it the action of someone evil.
He didn't return to the outlet location and he wasn't joining those laying flowers at the temporary memorial display.
It was an older woman – a shooting victim – who he tended to and worries about her status.
"Once I got to her, I figured out the extent of her injury – that's when I called," Patterson said. "I wanted them to know there was one person alive…what to expect when they get to her."
The victim helped by Patterson has not been identified. He said the woman's son was also at the mall, but he was not injured.
"Hope [is] all we can can look for," Patterson said. "My hope is get to church on Sunday."
Allen police say property abandoned inside retail stores or restaurants will be collected by individual store managers and distributed back to owners according to each store's lost and found policy.
Property abandoned in open areas such as parking lots, sidewalks, outdoor seating areas or other community spaces will be available for pickup at the Family Assistance Center located at the Allen Senior Recreation Center (451 St. Mary Drive, Allen, TX 75002) Monday, May 8 through Wednesday, May 10 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.