The tragedy in Jacksonville mall has raised concerns on future safety.
Especially in Boca Raton, where a tournament is happening this weekend.
Several video game tournaments are being held here at the Town Center at Boca Raton in the next two weeks, including one this Friday night.
Boca Raton police said they will be working with the mall regarding security at these events.
“Definitely was shocking, this was eyeopening," said Cody Luongo, a Boca Raton native and a sports journalist who works video game tournaments across the country. “A lot of the time, there is security but at larger scale events but now you start to look at smaller scale."
The deadly shooting during what was supposed to be a family fun event at a Jacksonville mall has now raised questions about security at such events.
“Prompted a lot of questions, especially from myself and my company. We’re organizing a lot of fields — these are tournaments we potentially could have been running," he said. “The weapon, they can theoretically go anywhere any time, so should the mall be protected as a whole?”
And that’s exactly what the Town Center at Boca Raton says it will be doing when the Microsoft store hosts several upcoming video game tournaments, starting with a Fortnite event this Friday.
Here is a statement issued to WPTV about security protocol surrounding events at Town Center at Boca Raton:
As part of the Boca Raton community it is important to us that we are providing unique, engaging events for our visitors. At the same time, while they are at our mall, the safety and security of our shoppers and employees is our top priority. Every event hosted inside our mall, whether in the common areas or in a store, adheres to a strict security protocol. Overall, Town Center at Boca Raton has a robust security program in place, which incorporates visible components, as well as others including active security patrols, the use of CCTV and other security-related technologies.
Luongo said the latest shooting shows the reality of the world we live in today.
“It’s kind of sad that we’re having to take those steps to have a police force, at even these super small tournaments," he said.
Click here to see the schedule of gaming events at the mall.
