IRMO, S.C. — A dog that can sniff out guns has been added to the security at the Columbiana Centre Mall, weeks after a shooting there that injured 15 people.
The dog, named Carlos, was on the job as of Thursday, according to a spokesperson for the mall, and joins the security staff who are already there. Carlos has been trained to detect firearms and has been training for weeks for this duty.
“We share the concerns of our community following recent incidents, which lead to the decision to implement this new security measure,” said the mall’s general manager, Taryn Trefethen-Boileau. “Nothing is more important to us than the wellbeing of our shoppers, tenants and employees. Our goal is to create the safest environment possible and we hope that taking this action will help us to move forward together.”
Carlos was trained at Shallow Creek Kennels, a police dog training facility in Pennsylvania. The dog will patrol the mall with his handler to detect anyone who has a weapon and quickly remove anyone who has that on their property. However, the mall says the dog has a friendly demeanor and people will likely be unaware that he's scanned them.
Columbiana Center prohibits guns at the facility and the mall says anyone who has a firearm is in violation of their code of conduct.
Back on April 16, Columbia police say three men opened fire inside the mall. A total of 15 people were injured: 9 by gunfire, with the other six injuries coming from people scrambling for safety.
Among those hit by gunfire were a pregnant woman, teenagers, and a 73-year-old woman, the state says. The 73-year-old suffered "life-altering" injuries according to prosecutors. Prosecutors say surveillance video showed people ducking to avoid being hit by gunfire, a father shielding his two small children from bullets, and a teen who ran into the path of the gun battle to pull her mother to safety.
The three suspects are facing multiple charges, including attempted murder. They remain behind bars after being denied bond.