When gunshots rang out in the Christiana Mall food court on April 8, the crowded shopping center was flooded with law enforcement.
Officers surrounded the food court as patrons hid inside stores, some calling their loved ones for what they feared would be the last time.
Investigators later reported that the shooting was the result of a fight between two groups of teens and was not a random mass shooting. Still, three people were taken to the hospital with gunshot wounds, and five other people were injured, according to police.
Officers eventually declared the mall to be safe and evacuated it, setting up a reunification area for parents to pick up their kids.
BACKGROUND:17-year-old boy charged in Christiana Mall shooting, 2 others involved still unknown
It was the last Saturday night anyone under 18 would be allowed in the mall without someone over 21 by their side.
However, it was far from the first time that police were called to Christiana Mall.
While April’s shooting was rare in its severity, data provided by Delaware State Police shows that officers are called to the mall almost every day, often multiple times. And this year, the frequency of those calls — both to 911 and to the nearby state police troop directly — has been on the rise.
Police have received 678 calls from Christiana Mall — which includes the main building, Cinemark movie theater and Cabela’s — so far in 2023. It’s more than the total calls to police recorded in all of 2021, and over 77% of last year’s total calls.
A spokesperson for Brookfield Properties, the company that owns Christiana Mall, declined to comment on the record about the rise in calls to police.
Delaware State Police spokesperson Senior Cpl. Leonard DeMalto said the increase in calls may be due to patrons becoming more vigilant in reporting people or incidents they view as suspicious. He said it’s also possible that stores have changed their policies and have started calling police more often regarding incidents that previously wouldn’t have been reported to law enforcement.
The volume of calls from a near-constantly busy place like Christiana Mall also isn’t surprising, according to DeMalto.
April saw the greatest number of calls to police from the mall in recent years, with 143 incidents — not including car crashes — recorded by state police that month.
It’s followed by December 2022, which recorded 120 calls to police, many in the days leading up to Christmas.
What are the calls to Christiana Mall for?
About 42% of calls to state police from the mall in recent years are in regard to theft and shoplifting, according to data provided by police.
Assaults and threats, vandalism, suspicious persons and fraud each comprise 4% of calls, and weapons-related calls make up 1% of the volume. Burglaries and robberies comprise less than 1% of emergency calls.
The other 35% of calls are non-criminal or miscellaneous investigations, according to police. DeMalto said these calls include reports of possible shoplifting or suspicious people that turn out to be unfounded or even reports of someone’s car alarm going off in the mall parking lot.
Who makes the calls?
A mall spokesperson said that the mall has its own in-house security that partners with police and can call officers for backup or assistance if needed. Mall employees can also call police directly.
The spokesperson said the mall has its own additional internal security procedures, but said she could not comment on them.
Calls also come from patrons, particularly those who view something or someone they believe is suspicious, according to police.
State police have a “good working relationship” with the mall, DeMalto said.
Are there any trends?
The average monthly calls made to state police from Christiana Mall in 2023 have doubled from 2021, police data shows. Excluding calls made in July, state police have been contacted about 102 times each month in 2023.
No month tended to have more calls to police than others over the past few years, and the frequency of calls is fairly evenly distributed across days of the week and month.
However, April saw a large decrease in calls following the shooting, with calls on the rise in the days leading up to the incident.
A mall spokesperson declined to comment on the shooting.
Efforts to decrease incidents
Christiana Mall tightened its curfew rules again in late June, stating that children aged 17 and under cannot enter the mall past 3 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays without being accompanied by someone over the age of 21.
However, there is no evidence to suggest that incidents resulting in police being called increase on weekends.
The mall spokesperson said she could not comment on the curfew’s effectiveness.
While DeMalto said that the mall is within its rights to have a curfew — one that state police will help enforce if asked to — there are other measures that individual mall patrons can take to keep themselves and others safe.
He recommended that everyone carries a phone with them, remain aware of their surroundings and contact police if they see something suspicious or illegal.
“If we all look out for each other and contact the authorities when needed, I think that would be a good start in reducing crime in any given area,” DeMalto said.
Suspicious activity at the mall can be reported directly to Delaware State Police Troop 6 at (302) 633-5000 or by calling 911.
Send story tips or ideas to Hannah Edelman at hedelman@delawareonline.com. For more reporting, follow them on Twitter at @h_edelman.
