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Mall of Louisiana reopens two days after death of high school senior in mass shooting
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BATON ROUGE — The shopping mall where a high school senior was shot dead during a gun battle between rival groups reopened Saturday behind a makeshift memorial erected by the mall's operator.
A spray of flowers accompanied by a sign reading "Our Hearts are Joined in Sorrow" stood near an entrance at the Mall of Louisiana.
Martha Odom, 17, died Thursday after being hit by crossfire. She was at the mall celebrating her upcoming graduation from Ascension Episcopal School in Lafayette Parish. Odom was one of six people shot in the food court that afternoon.
The mall was closed Thursday afternoon and Friday. Baton Rouge Police and armed security guards patrolled the mall when it reopened Saturday morning.
Valencia Magee was among those who returned to the mall upon its reopening. She said that while Thursday's shooting was tragic, she doesn't want to live her life in fear.
"Now is the time to come out and feel more safe than I ever did before," Magee said. "I'm not going to let things like this stop me from living my everyday life."
This is a response that Dr. Jan Laughinghouse said is healthy.
"If you find that you cannot go near the mall or go into the mall, that is interfering with your activity of daily living," Laughinghouse said. "That is a sign that you need to seek help."
Dr. Laughinghouse said deeper conversations about what happened are important, but some people may need to take a step back and process their feelings first.
"This may actually be a time to unplug," Laughinghouse said. "In a few weeks, we can talk about the reality of what's going on and what goes on in the minds of young people who bring weapons to the mall in the middle of the day."
Police said Friday that Markel Lee, 17, would be charged with one count of murder and five counts of attempted murder after Thursday's mayhem at the mall. The police chief said two rival groups had gone to the mall to settle a social media beef. Another person is being sought in connection with the mass shooting.
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