I consider myself fortunate to have been born and raised in Brookfield, Wis. The opportunities I was given in relation to schooling and extra curricular activities helped shape who I am as a person. For those who do not know, Brookfield is a suburb located 20 minutes west of Milwaukee in Waukesha County. Roughly 38,000 people populate the area. I live in the southeast subdivision, an area distant from the heart of the city. However, only two miles from my house is Brookfield Square Mall, where I am an employee.
In the summer of 2011 I started my job as a sales associate at The Children's Place. Days at the store appeared to mirror each other. Fold clothes, process shipment, help customers. There would be an occasional instance when I worked where we would encounter a shoplifting problem. Nothing too extreme though. I have only been working once or twice a month during breaks since school. Even so, the routine remains the same. It was not until a year and a half into the job that my experiences and leadership skills would be put into practice.
On Oct. 21, 2012 I woke up and got ready for a normal day at work. I was actually not scheduled to come in that day, but agreed to help process shipment for the upcoming floor set. Shortly after 11 a.m. I finished taking the trash outside, when I heard sirens in the distance. I did not think much of it. In my mind it was just another routine traffic stop. A few seconds later, I was in the store and went about my business, that was, until an announcement from mall security was made.
I hurried to the back door in order to hear what they were saying. The only speakers are in the mall, not any stores, which can prove quite challenging at times. All they said was the east entrance by Barnes and Noble was closed. Shoppers should not enter or exit through that area. Being the curious person that I am, I wanted to know why. It took me a while to find an answer. Apparently nobody knew what was going on. Mall security made another announcement and I started to worry. Something just did not seem right to me. My manager came to the back and said a customer told her a shooting just occurred. She did not say where, only that is was in the mall or across the street near Azana Salon and Spa and McDonald's.
I froze. I could not believe what I just heard.
The first thing I did was grab my phone and see if there was any information online. None. I proceeded to call my mom. She turned on the television and was informing me of the situation. There was a mass shooting at the spa across the street and police did not know where the gunman is. Again, I froze. I told my manager and we just stared at each other. She proceeded to call mall security to ask what we should do. They did not have any definite answers. All you could hear on the line was screaming in the background from the chaos that was ensuing.
By this time another announcement was made saying all entrances to the mall were closed. Nobody could leave or come in.
We were still unsure what to do. Stores around us were closing their doors. My co-workers and I decided it was best if we did too in case the gunman did enter the mall. At this time, a few customers remained in the store with us. Some left to see if they could be escorted to their car. Others who were parked near the bookstore stayed. They knew it would be a while since the command post for the police squads was stationed in that area.
After hearing the news and getting things situated in the store, I pulled out my phone and turned to social media. Not only was that my way of staying updated, it let me stay in touch with other people and express what was on my mind.
In the summer of 2011 I started my job as a sales associate at The Children's Place. Days at the store appeared to mirror each other. Fold clothes, process shipment, help customers. There would be an occasional instance when I worked where we would encounter a shoplifting problem. Nothing too extreme though. I have only been working once or twice a month during breaks since school. Even so, the routine remains the same. It was not until a year and a half into the job that my experiences and leadership skills would be put into practice.
On Oct. 21, 2012 I woke up and got ready for a normal day at work. I was actually not scheduled to come in that day, but agreed to help process shipment for the upcoming floor set. Shortly after 11 a.m. I finished taking the trash outside, when I heard sirens in the distance. I did not think much of it. In my mind it was just another routine traffic stop. A few seconds later, I was in the store and went about my business, that was, until an announcement from mall security was made.
I hurried to the back door in order to hear what they were saying. The only speakers are in the mall, not any stores, which can prove quite challenging at times. All they said was the east entrance by Barnes and Noble was closed. Shoppers should not enter or exit through that area. Being the curious person that I am, I wanted to know why. It took me a while to find an answer. Apparently nobody knew what was going on. Mall security made another announcement and I started to worry. Something just did not seem right to me. My manager came to the back and said a customer told her a shooting just occurred. She did not say where, only that is was in the mall or across the street near Azana Salon and Spa and McDonald's.
I froze. I could not believe what I just heard.
The first thing I did was grab my phone and see if there was any information online. None. I proceeded to call my mom. She turned on the television and was informing me of the situation. There was a mass shooting at the spa across the street and police did not know where the gunman is. Again, I froze. I told my manager and we just stared at each other. She proceeded to call mall security to ask what we should do. They did not have any definite answers. All you could hear on the line was screaming in the background from the chaos that was ensuing.
By this time another announcement was made saying all entrances to the mall were closed. Nobody could leave or come in.
We were still unsure what to do. Stores around us were closing their doors. My co-workers and I decided it was best if we did too in case the gunman did enter the mall. At this time, a few customers remained in the store with us. Some left to see if they could be escorted to their car. Others who were parked near the bookstore stayed. They knew it would be a while since the command post for the police squads was stationed in that area.
After hearing the news and getting things situated in the store, I pulled out my phone and turned to social media. Not only was that my way of staying updated, it let me stay in touch with other people and express what was on my mind.
It took a while for what was happening to sink in. I was not 100 percent comfortable knowing the gunman was not found. New details about the horrific incident did not help either. However, I was forced to keep it together. Not just for me, but for the group girls that was still in our store.
A group of seven girl's and two of their mother's remained in the store when the mall locked down. They were parked in front of Barnes and Noble, and despite an attempt, were not allowed to leave. One of the girls was a nervous wreck. She was even on the verge of getting sick. My co-workers and I did our best to calm them down and get their minds off the situation.
They proceeded to go shopping through the store, creating their own mini fashion show along the way. We were talking with one of the moms who mentioned they came here because it was one of the girls' birthdays. Upon hearing that I felt bad. Who wants to spend their 12th birthday locked inside of a store because they cannot leave the mall? No one.
My manager went to the Mrs. Fields stand right outside our store. She came back five minutes later with a cookie cake. "Happy Birthday Aubrey" was written on it. We called the girls over and started singing happy birthday. Aubrey could not help but smile and her mother broke down in tears, touched by the generosity. The twelve of us were making the most out of a situation we could not fix.
A group of seven girl's and two of their mother's remained in the store when the mall locked down. They were parked in front of Barnes and Noble, and despite an attempt, were not allowed to leave. One of the girls was a nervous wreck. She was even on the verge of getting sick. My co-workers and I did our best to calm them down and get their minds off the situation.
They proceeded to go shopping through the store, creating their own mini fashion show along the way. We were talking with one of the moms who mentioned they came here because it was one of the girls' birthdays. Upon hearing that I felt bad. Who wants to spend their 12th birthday locked inside of a store because they cannot leave the mall? No one.
My manager went to the Mrs. Fields stand right outside our store. She came back five minutes later with a cookie cake. "Happy Birthday Aubrey" was written on it. We called the girls over and started singing happy birthday. Aubrey could not help but smile and her mother broke down in tears, touched by the generosity. The twelve of us were making the most out of a situation we could not fix.
Shortly after our birthday party ended it was back to reality. We did not forget what was happening outside, it simply was pushed to the back of our minds for a little bit. It was clear that there was no longer a threat to us inside the mall. The group of girl's and their mother's were finally able to leave. My co-workers and I cleaned up and continued to work on shipment for a little while. However, our plan of staying longer to process was quickly halted when mall security knocked on our door.
Ten minutes. We had 10 minutes to leave the store and mall. No ifs, ands or buts. He told us three people were confirmed dead in the spa and a possible improvised explosive device was found there as well. My nerves quickly came back. He did not say why we had to leave. It was clear something was going on though. Next thing I saw was the SWAT team running down the hall with their weapons. We closed the store and were escorted out the back, told to talk with no media.
I made it to my car, instantly relieved, but emotionally and physically exhausted. All I could think about on the drive home were the innocent people who lost their lives. I made it home and watched the news coverage. It was at that time I heard the gunman was found dead inside the salon.
Ten minutes. We had 10 minutes to leave the store and mall. No ifs, ands or buts. He told us three people were confirmed dead in the spa and a possible improvised explosive device was found there as well. My nerves quickly came back. He did not say why we had to leave. It was clear something was going on though. Next thing I saw was the SWAT team running down the hall with their weapons. We closed the store and were escorted out the back, told to talk with no media.
I made it to my car, instantly relieved, but emotionally and physically exhausted. All I could think about on the drive home were the innocent people who lost their lives. I made it home and watched the news coverage. It was at that time I heard the gunman was found dead inside the salon.
I knew it was an isolated incident when I heard the shooting occurred at Azana Salon and Spa. Of all the places in Brookfield, that was the last place I assumed something like this could have ever happened. It brought me back to 2005 when Terry Ratzmann opened fire at the Living Church of God inside the Sheraton Hotel.
I would have never imagined - and still cannot believe - incidents like this could happen in the small suburban city I grew up in. It is still hard for me to grasp the fact that I was outside, right across the street, with the spa in plain view when Radcliffe Haughton opened fire inside. Nothing prepares you for a situation like that. I woke up that morning with the intent of getting at least 20 boxes of shipment done. Only a few packages got processed throughout the day, but that did not matter. Neither did making our sales goal. Nothing but the safety of people mattered that day.
The events of that day still play vividly in my head. It is one that I will never forget.
I would have never imagined - and still cannot believe - incidents like this could happen in the small suburban city I grew up in. It is still hard for me to grasp the fact that I was outside, right across the street, with the spa in plain view when Radcliffe Haughton opened fire inside. Nothing prepares you for a situation like that. I woke up that morning with the intent of getting at least 20 boxes of shipment done. Only a few packages got processed throughout the day, but that did not matter. Neither did making our sales goal. Nothing but the safety of people mattered that day.
The events of that day still play vividly in my head. It is one that I will never forget.