‘We have kids that have been shot.’ Police release 911 calls from Concord Mills mall
Calls poured in to Cabarrus County dispatch Saturday night as a deadly shooting scene unfolded at the Concord Mills mall.
The shooting was reported around 8:40 p.m. outside Dave & Buster’s on Concord Mills Boulevard.
Officials would later learn that 13-year-old Aveanna Propst had been killed and two boys, a 15-year-old and 16-year-old, had been shot and injured. Police say the teen boys are “lucky to be alive.”
In one 911 call, a bystander said she had been hiding beside the shooter, who she described as a teenage boy who was wearing a red and white checkered hoodie. A similar description was given by police when surveillance photos emerged of the “person of interest” in the shooting.
Dispatch: “911”
Caller: “Hi, I just wanted to report a shooting at Concord Mills”
Dispatch: “Yes ma’am we have everybody coming to you.”
Caller: “OK - Well, I was, uh ducking right by where the shooter was. He is a black male, probably like between 15 and 18 in a red and white checkered hoodie.”
Dispatch: “OK – do you know where he went?”
Caller: “He’s outside of the Sealy – the mattress store.”
In another call, a woman, sounding frantic, described seeing children that had been shot.
Dispatch: “911 hello?... Cabarrus County Sheriff’s Office.”
Caller: “Hi, yes sir, we have a shooting outside Concord Mills mall – we have kids that have been shot outside.”
Dispatch: “How many patients do you have?”
Caller: “I have one I know that’s been shot in the arm right now.”
The caller tries giver her location to dispatch, while speaking to others in the background.
Dispatch: “Is it just one person that’s been shot?”
Caller: “Yes, it’s just one person that I see right now that’s been hurt. And there’s another one that’s outside that’s been shot in the parking lot.”
A man wearing a red and white checkered hoodie was seen on surveillance shortly before the shooting, displaying a firearm in the Concord Mills parking lot. Witnesses said a short time later he fired the gun in the direction of Dave & Buster’s.
‘Everybody’s running’
On Monday, a driver of a rideshare vehicle shared dashcam video showing the suspected shooter. As the rideshare driver approaches the Concord Mills building, he sees a group of people running toward the parking lot. The driver slows to a stop.
A person can be seen in a red and white checkered hoodie. This appears to be the same person police have shared images of.
WBTV will not show the graphic moments of the shooting as it happens, but we have slowed down and zoomed into video as that person appears to put something into their waistband.
The rideshare driver then pulls into the parking lot. As he turns down his music, several shots can be heard. Then people can be seen running from the building, some with children, carrying them in their arms.
The rideshare driver can be heard in one of the many 911 calls that poured in, saying that “about 15 shots were fired.”
Dispatch: “Cabarrus County 911”
Caller: “There’s a shooting outside of Dave & Buster’s at Concord Mills. The suspect is a black man wearing a hoodie – it’s red and white checkered. I believe it is a Ohio State hoodie. He’s got the gun tucked in his pants now – everybody’s running.”
On Sunday, police shared surveillance photos of the person in the hoodie. Though the photos lack clarity, police hope the uniqueness of the hoodie may lead someone to being able to identify the shooter.
Police say Propst’s cousin, 31-year-old Derron Jordan, was killed in a shooting just hours earlier in a Concord neighborhood.
Police have not said whether they believe the two shootings are connected.
Anyone with information is asked to call 704-920-5000 or contact Cabarrus County Crime Stoppers at 704-93-CRIME.
Note: This story was updated to correct the spelling of Aveanna Propst’s name.
This story was originally published December 31, 2019 at 10:13 AM.