Multiple loud sounds were heard in Crabtree Valley Mall on Black Friday, sending shoppers into a panic thinking the sounds were gunshots. Authorities have confirmed that no shots were fired and no injuries were reported. According to WRAL, the sounds are believed to be a result of pro-Palestine protesters on the second floor, but this theory is still being investigated. Until the protesters actions can be proven to be the cause of the panic, no charges can be filed.
The sounds believed to be gunshots sent hordes of people running, which led to even more people following the running crowd out of fear. All of this resulted in a mass panic and evacuation of the mall in fear of a mass shooting.
FVHS sophomore Amina Kaissi was at the mall during the incident and got the panic on video. The video was posted by multiple news sites and interviews were done with her to talk about the incident. In the video, it shows a huge crowd of people, including Kaissi, running out of the building after the loud sounds were heard, which weren’t caught on video.
The video was originally posted on TikTok, where it got over 300,000 likes. From there, Kaissi called news sites to send in her video, and it went viral.
Kaissi was eating in the food court at the time with her friends for Black Friday shopping.
“I was terrified because everyone just started screaming and running out of the building. What I thought at first was that there was an active shooter,” Kaissi said.
Although the sounds weren’t gunshots, the immediate assumption showcases the current state of the US. With mass shootings only becoming more common and “regular,” they’re almost being normalized as something that always has the risk of happening at any time.
“It’s just a new normal thing for kids our age in this generation. I feel like it needs to be put to a stop because this is not normal,” Kaissi said.
