Police are searching for a young shooter after a bullet tore through a door inside Eastridge Mall in Gastonia Thursday night, leaving shoppers alarmed but uninjured.
A witness said a kid wearing a mask came into Hibbett Sports looking for someone, who ran into a hallway leading outside. Two gunshots rang out.
One round went through the metal interior and exterior of a door and likely went into a nearby shopping corridor.
“This makes no sense, man,” said Finland Fair, with 101 Black Me of Highland. “This makes no sense. You didn’t think about anybody’s life.”
He and others formed 101 Black Men of Highland after a mall shooting in 2022 and a series of other shootings involving young men.
Gaston County District Attorney Travis Page expressed concern.
“We have seen a rash of younger kids committing more and more serious crimes,” Page said.
He said minors who commit serious violent crimes should be charged as adults.
However, he said that is a reactive approach.
“We need to be proactive,” Page said. “We need to look to prevent those criminal acts before they occur.”
He said it will take groups, such as 101 Black Men to help. They work with youth in school.
“We are working with conflict resolution,” Fair said.
He said the shooter needs to know there are groups designed to support people like him before someone gets hurt.
“Put the guns down. Let the violence go. It’s time out for this,” Fair said.
He said those who don’t listen will face a heavy punishment in court.
Fair said, “Some people have street cred. ‘I got to prove a point. I got to make sure that they understand where I’m coming from.’ No, you don’t. Walk away. Let it go.”
The shooting investigation continues.
VIDEO: Gastonia police share events leading up to Eastridge Mall shooting
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/LH3JSJEF3VBLRJLJQESEAG34AM.png)
