RALEIGH, N.C. — Violence in public places seems to make headlines nearly every day. As we move into a season of heightened shopping and public events, many people experience higher anxiety, but experts say there are ways to manage your fears and still enjoy holiday festivites and traditions.
What You Need To Know
Over Thanksgiving weekend, there were at least three shootings at shopping malls in North Carolina
On Sunday night, one man was shot outside a Raleigh movie theatre
A person was shot at Walmart in Lumberton, and two people were shot at the Greenville Mall on Black Friday
One mental health expert says news of violence can cause anxiety, and it’s important to address those feelings
Over Thanksgiving weekend, there were at least three shootings at shopping malls in North Carolina.
Raleigh police are investigating a shooting that happened Sunday night outside a movie theater in North Hills. According to police, they found a man with a gunshot wound just before 7:30 p.m. He was taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
Lumberton police say one person was shot at Walmart on Black Friday, and Greenville police say two people were shot inside the mall near the American Eagle on Black Friday.
According to officials, in all three of those situations, the people involved knew each other.
Those incidents come after the mass shooting at a Walmart in Chesapeake, Virginia, where an employee allegedly killed six other employees and injured six other people.
As people hear about violent situations like this, one mental health expert says it’s important to recognize signs of anxiety that can be caused by news like this.
“How often am I exposed to these things? What are some likelihoods of this occurring? Sometimes that can be helpful but sometimes this might be more fear inducing. Part of it is too so what is the one thing that I can do today that’s in my control? How can I focus on the one thing that’s within my control. Just focus and practice some mindfulness around what’s right in front of me,” Erica Smith, a licensed clinical social worker in Raleigh, said.
Smith also recommends setting boundaries and talking about how you feel with loved ones or a therapist if you start to feel anxious.
Spectrum News 1 also reached out to other shopping centers and malls in the state to learn about their safety measures this holiday season.
The Greenville police chief plans to meet with mall management this week to address security recommendations. A Greensboro Mall spokesperson says safety is their highest priority, but they never publicly discuss security protocol because that could compromise its effectiveness. A spokesperson for the Crabtree Mall in Raleigh says they enhance security presence during key shopping times, including having additional police on the property.