CONCORD, N.C. — Police said 13-year-old Aveanna Propst was hit by a stray bullet and killed outside Concord Mills Mall on Saturday. Now, an old petition calling for a curfew to be established at the popular shopping center is gaining renewed attention.
"It's shocking, honestly," said Edward Griffin, who uses the mall to go to the movies. "It's unbelievable."
Propst's death is still gripping the community. A teen who was not the intended target, according to police, was gunned down just before the new year.
Concord Police said Dontae Milton Black, 18, was arrested for Propst's murder on Wednesday. They said he also shot two other innocent minors, who survived, as he tried to take aim at a 16-year-old.
Police said Black got into an altercation with the 16-year-old inside the mall moments earlier.
"It was devastating," said Kristen Twumasi, a mother who frequents the mall.
It's unclear if Propst and the other teens were there alone, but the heart-breaking murder renewed support for a petition that was originally created in 2017.
The petition calls on Concord Mills Mall to enact a curfew for minors after several violent incidents in recent years.
It's unclear if a curfew would have prevented the shooting or the tragic murder, but other area malls have put those restrictions in place. It's an idea that creates a mix of reactions.
"It could prevent a life -- an innocent life -- that was probably gone too soon," Twumasi said.
"There should be a curfew, I do agree with that," shopper Laci Irwin added.
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