In May this year, a Minneapolis teenager was sentenced to more than 30 years for a fatal shooting that shut down the Mall of America (MOA) in Bloomington, Minnesota during the holiday shopping rush in 2022.
Nineteen-year-old Taeshawn Adams-Wright pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the killing of Johntae Hudson, another 19-year-old from Minneapolis. He was the first of four defendants to be sentenced.
The shooting took place on the evening of December 23, 2022, after a fight erupted between two groups of teenagers inside MOA, the country’s largest shopping and entertainment center. Prosecutors reported that Adams-Wright and others chased Hudson through the Nordstrom store. Security footage captured the ensuing chaos Hudson was shot multiple times and died on the scene. Police noted that Hudson also fired during the confrontation, and a gun was found near his body. In the aftermath, a shopper was grazed by a bullet, and the entire mall went into lockdown.
In those tense moments, the mall took swift action to protect those inside. Shoppers were ushered into stores, turning the once-bustling communal spaces into ghostly silence. But what about those arriving at the mall, people just parking or about to exit the freeway to go there? This tragic event highlighted a critical gap that hadn’t been fully addressed.
As someone who served as the head of counterterrorism at MOA from 2011 to 2014, I can offer a unique perspective. MOA has one of the most advanced layered security programs in the nation, if not the best. Yet, even the best systems can reveal new growth opportunities during real-world incidents.
One of the biggest lessons MOA learned from the 2022 shooting was that security doesn’t just mean protecting those already inside. There was a need for a system to alert people approaching the mall – a gap they swiftly moved to fill. This solution has profound implications for churches, nonprofits, and other public venues striving to enhance their security. MOA turned to Status Solutions.
Imagine if you could unify digital signage, lights, kiosk screens, mass communications, security technology and lockdown systems all working together seamlessly. How much more secure would your church or nonprofit be?
This is exactly where Status Solutions can make a difference. With their advanced programming you can unify all your systems so that, with a single press of a button, you could lock doors, dim or turn off lights, display messages on digital signs, and broadcast alerts over the PA system making your response to critical events quicker, more coordinated, and more comprehensive.
In today’s world, mass notification is crucial not only for keeping people safe but also for informing them when they need to act to stay safe. Every second counts, and effective communication can make all the difference.
While MOA may have a security budget that many nonprofits and smaller organizations can’t match, part of their approach isn’t out of reach. If you have a security system or program in place, unifying it can streamline your emergency response. You don’t have to remember every individual security step when you can integrate everything into one button or system.
Status Solutions is your partner in protecting what matters most. For the past 23 years, they’ve adapted their mission to address evolving safety challenges, focusing on the well-being of students, residents, customers, employees, property, and business assets. They’re known for being pioneers in situational awareness, specializing in life safety assurance, real-time monitoring, data analysis, environmental awareness, and mass notification technologies.
Status Solutions’ custom software solutions provide your team with situational awareness, empower them to act, and supply the data analysis needed to adapt and stay ahead of potential threats, from the routine to the extreme. If you’d like to learn more, reach out to Amy Jeffs at ajeffs@statussolutions.com and let her know Security Connections sent you!
Simon Osamoh serves as the editor of Security Connections and is nationally recognized for his work in safeguarding houses of worship. He began his career in England, spending 14 years as a detective specializing in serious and organized crime before leading Counter Terrorism at the Mall of America in Minnesota. Simon founded Kingswood Security Consulting and the Worship Security Academy, providing security solutions to houses of worship and nonprofits. He is the author of two Amazon bestselling books and the host of the Church Security Accelerator Podcast. For submissions or topic ideas, reach out to Simon at sosamoh@worshipfacility.com
