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Meriden mall scare may have been a result of high tensions after Orlando shooting

MERIDEN – Thursday night’s Meriden mall scare was a prime example of the toll the seemingly endless mass shootings have taken, particularly the one in an Orland...
meriden mall incident

MERIDEN – Thursday night’s Meriden mall scare was a prime example of the toll the seemingly endless mass shootings have taken, particularly the one in an Orlando nightclub just four days earlier that claimed 49 lives.

“People were running out of the mall and a couple people were crying,” said Megan DeSorbo, of Middletown, who arrived at Westfield Meriden to see a slew of police cars.

At 8:25, Meriden police received a call reporting that multiple shots may have fired within the mall.

“A couple people said that they lived across the street and they heard four shots fired and a lot of people ran in their yard, said DeSorbo.

Cops say it was a false alarm, possibly caused by an electrical transformer blowing and the noise frightening people. But, in a world on edge, this type of event can trigger an acute stress reaction thanks to various forms of media.

“Swamped with detailed information repeatedly delivered to us and multiple different ways about very tragic and frightening events,” said J. Craig Allen MD, the medical director for Rushford, one of Connecticut's leading providers of addiction and mental health treatment programs for children, teens and adults.

Through social media everyone gets exposure to events like this, including children.

“Affording them an opportunity to talk about it, listening to what their perspective of it is in the information they have gives you a chance to dispel distorted ideas,” said Allen.

Security experts say there’s one easy way to reduce your chances of becoming a victim in a crowded environment.

“People are walking around with their faces glued to the cell phone, looking at text messaging, emails so on and so forth,” said Patrick Chagnon, a former state trooper and counter-terrorism expert, who is now president  Blueline Security Consulting Group, LLC.

He says make certain you know the nearest exits and even barriers you can shield yourself behind, in the event of an active shooter. And, for soft targets, like malls that have less security, security forces need to be on the outside of the venue.

“Train them to look for indicators of activities that could make them a good resource for law-enforcement,” said Chagnon.

To relieve stress after tragic events, experts say think of the positives being done in response.

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