The Nebraska chapters of Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action, both part of Everytown for Gun Safety, released the following statements after a shooting in Omaha at the Westroads mall on Saturday in which one person was fatally shot and one was wounded.
Westroads Mall has a painful history with gun violence, it was the site of a mass shooting in 2007 in which eight people were shot and killed and five were wounded. Just over a month ago, a police officer was shot and wounded at the mall as well.
“It is absolutely devastating to have to say there’s been a shooting at Westroads Mall. Again,” said Katie Townley, a volunteer with the Nebraska chapter of Moms Demand Action in Omaha. “Malls are not supposed to be places where we fear for our lives. My heart aches for all those impacted by this tragic shooting, and we urge our lawmakers to take action to prevent this from happening again, again.”
“We are living in a world where we no longer feel safe in a shopping mall,” said Jayden Speed, a volunteer with Students Demand Action in Nebraska. “This is at least the third instance of gun violence in just this mall– it’s not a fluke, it’s the product of decades of weakening state and federal laws that put our community in danger. We are in a crisis, and we need our leaders to take action to protect us from this epidemic.”
This shooting is one of many recent shootings across the United States including devastating shootings in the Midwest in Indianapolis, Columbus, Ohio, and Kenosha, Wis., and police shootings, including that of Daunte Wright and Adam Toledo, as well as countless acts of senseless gun violence that don’t make the headlines.
In an average year, 178 people die by gun violence in Nebraska and 348 more are wounded. Gun violence costs Nebraska $1.2 billion each year, of which $33.9 million is paid by taxpayers. More information about gun violence in Nebraska is available here.
