WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah — After a 15-year-old shot a man at the Valley Fair Mall in West Valley City on Monday, anxiety is running high for many in Utah.
“It’s absolutely terrifying. People are nervous,” said Lt. Steve Burke with the West Valley City Police Department, “and rightfully so I think.”
Several customers hid in the mall, afraid it might be a case of an active shooter, but police later confirmed that the shooting it was an isolated incident.
Mall shootings like what happened in West Valley City are not unheard of in Utah.
In 2019, two people were injured in a shooting at Fashion Place Mall, and in the most tragic mall shooting in the state’s history took place at Trolley Square.
Back in 2007, a gunman killed five people, leaving a memory that some will never forget.
“Even just going to Trolley Square, you can’t help but think about it,” said Brett Olsen.
Olsen was one of the SWAT team members to take down the Trolley Square shooter.
Even though what occurred Monday is a different situation, for Olsen it brings up thoughts of what is happening nationwide, such as the Texas mass that killed eight on Saturday.
“If people want to inflict pain on somebody else, they’re going to find a way. If you add security there, they’re just gonna find somewhere else,” said Olsen, “I just don’t know when, when enough is gonna be enough.”
How should parents address these types of traumatic events with their kids?
“What we say is often less meaningful than how we say it,” said child psychologist Dr. McCall Lyon.
Lyon said the most important thing a parent can do is to be with their child and listen to their concerns.
“Being calm, being affectionate in those moments, letting them ask questions and letting the child have any big feeling that they might have and letting the child know you're gonna do your best to keep them safe,” she said.
