By Cathy Spaulding Phoenix Staff Writer
Owners, managers and employees at mall stores echoed the panic and concern surrounding the gunfire that rang through Arrowhead Mall on Saturday afternoon.
Arrowhead Mall Manager Scott Stephenson said he could not comment.
A person who answered the phone at Hibbett Sports shortly after 4:40 p.m. said she did not know what was going on.
“I don’t know, we’re trapped, we just got shot at and we don’t have any comment right now,” she said before hanging up.
Susan Miller, who works at Starlite Golf Co., said she and several patrons witnessed the shooting and were making statements for the police. She would not say what she saw.
“It happened right in front of us,” she said.
Miller said about 20 patrons were in the arcade or playing miniature golf. Some were evacuated and others remained to give statements, she said.
Mike Grimes, an automotive worker at Sears, said he heard six shots fired inside the mall.
Salena Apple, who works concessions at the Arrowhead Mall Cinema 10 Theatres said she didn’t hear any shots, but soon saw people running through the food court.
“I saw the girl who was shot in the right forearm,” Apple said. “She was running, and the deputy got her and she left with him.”
About 30 customers at Arrowhead Mall Cinema 10 Theatres were evacuated, said Corey Hill, a projectionist at the theater. He said theater employees remained there, and the cinema was put in lockdown.
Apple said she and other workers helped customers evacuate.
“We had to stay calm so they would be calm,” she said. “We gave them re-admit tickets.”
When called around 7:30 p.m., Apple said she had just gotten home 30 minutes earlier.
Apple said she was shaking a little while at the theater, “but then, I was talking all day.”
Hill said the theater was to be closed Saturday night.
Hannah Hamilton, who works at Twisted Joe’s, said around 5:30 p.m. she was told that all people must leave the mall.
Marilyn Williams, manager on duty at JCPenney, said the store was put on lockdown at around 4 p.m. All customers were evacuated, and some left through the store’s exits to the parking lot, she said. Williams said about 30 employees were gathered and were in a safe place.
Williams said she heard no shots.
Hope Bridges, co-owner of Kat Daddy’s Bar and Grill, said there were about 100 customers in the restaurant when they heard people screaming. She called 911 and was told it had already been called in. They evacuated the restaurant and no one was hurt.
“It was very frightening,” she said. “People were saying someone has a gun.”
The restaurant is family owned and operated and they wanted to get the customers out.
“This is terrible for everyone. This is a tragedy for the mall. The mall was crowded. Our whole family was in.”
Gary Edwards of Catoosa stood across the street from Arrowhead Mall just to see what was going on.
“It’s a beautiful day, and then some knucklehead doing the wrong thing. It’s a black eye for Muskogee.”
Edwards, who inherited a house in Muskogee, came here for the Azalea Festival activities. A friend who has a police scanner told him about the shooting.
Magnus Duru of Nigeria, a nursing student at Bacone College, went to the chili cook-off, but it was over. Then he saw all the police at the mall and stopped to stare, wondering what was going on.
“I’ve always heard Muskogee is a good place to raise a family,” said Duru, who has lived in Muskogee less than six months.
Suzie Stoneburner of Fort Gibson, business manager for Estee Lauder at Dillards, said she left a baby shower when she heard what had happened. She wanted to make sure employees at Dillards and Zales, where friends work, were safe.
“My stomach is in knots,” she said. “Thank God I wasn’t working. I just can’t believe this.”
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