Loud Pops Send Metro Mall Into Panic, Mental Health Experts Weigh In On Anxieties Of Mass Shootings

Two people were injured in the panic that followed the sounds of popping in a metro mall this weekend. 

Many thought the sounds could have come from a mass shooter. The reaction highlights the sensitivities of many as mass shootings continue to plague the country. 

The celebration of a hair salon graduation had people not on the guest list running for cover. The party poppers, the cause of the panic. 

"It was a pop, pop," explained Ashley Capps, who was at the mall on Saturday. 

Quail Springs Mall shoppers were unable to tell the difference between the noises. 

"We saw people running and you ask questions and nobody's answering," said Capps.  

Other shoppers like Chevy Condon and Marnie Julkowski said they heard the shots and took off running, ducking into a glasses shop for cover. 

The State Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse says they aren’t surprised by the frantic reaction of shoppers. 

"When a situation occurs and we don't know what's going on and everybody is reacting in some way it's easy to be caught up in that," Jeff Dismukes with SDMHSA explained. 

Pandemic anxieties and the recent string of incredibly deadly mass shootings has many people stretched thin. 

"People see the same coverage on their cell phones, on TV, on whatever means there is, and it's a repeat event and it absolutely increases the stresses and anxieties people are feeling," said Dismukes. “Because we are hit from so many different angles with these issues. It's definitely at the forefront of everybody's mind." 

The state's mental health resources, like the new 988 Crisis Line are available to anyone who feels overwhelmed; but there are ways to ease the mind at home as well. 

"It's important that people find a means to disengage. Take some time to step away. Take care of yourself. Just kind of unplug from the information out there," Dismukes said. 

Other ways to deal with stress and anxiety can be to get a good night's sleep, eat healthy or just stop to take a few deep breaths.