ALLEN, Texas — A little over a week since the mass shooting happened at the Allen Premium Outlets mall, volunteers on Tuesday started taking down the memorial that grew in the aftermath.
Flowers, toys, stuffed animals and crosses dedicated to the victims of the tragic shooting were placed at the mall to honor them. On Tuesday morning, those pieces were stored into bins to distribute to the victims' families.
Allen firefighters and police officers worked for more than an hour to clear out the crosses, flowers and stuffed animals laid down. It was too much to fit into two trucks and trailers, so crews brought in a third rental truck to help load more of the memorial.
“We’re just individuals who cared about the community, and one by one they just started coming and saying we’ll help," Cheryl Jackson, who helped care for the memorial, said. “These beautiful photos that someone brought the other day. They really just put the faces on the tragedy.”
Hundreds upon hundreds of people visited the memorial to pay their respects over the course of the week. Most people WFAA spoke with since the shooting happened shared the same sentiment of heavy hearts and emotions.
The mall will remain closed until all funerals are done, according to property management. But even after the mall re-opens, the healing process will continue for many.
WFAA held a special "Action After Allen" with hopes to answer the tough questions and discuss in an open forum how we as a community can find healing moving forward.
On Monday, AAPI groups in Dallas made a public plea for the Texas Department of Public Safety to thoroughly investigate whether the shooting at the Allen Premium Outlets was a hate crime.
The speakers also held a prayer vigil following the news conference at Oak Lawn United Methodist Church, where many people advocated for gun control legislation.
In Sunday's Inside Texas Politics, State Rep. Jeff Leach told WFAA Senior Reporter Jason Whitely he expects this shooting to lead to legislative action.
The Republican was adamant when he told us he thinks the Allen shooting will lead to policy change. The question is what type of legislation... and when? You can check out that conversation and more by listening to Inside Texas Politics here.
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