GLENDALE, Ariz. — On Wednesday afternoon, Patty Dishon was getting ready to finish her shift, working alone at Leggings Park at the Tanger Outlets in Glendale. She noticed the rush of people stopped, and then an officer came into her shop.
"A cop came into my store with the biggest rifle I've ever seen," she said. "He was like 'lock the door and hide.'"
Glendale police say two teens shot at each other in the center of the outdoor mall, injuring themselves and two others, including a 4-year-old child. That child is still reportedly in critical condition.
Patty listened to the officer right away, grabbing her keys, locking the door, and running to the back of her store to get to a hiding spot. From there, she called her boyfriend, mother and best friend to try and figure out what was going on.
"And all I could think was I can't believe that this is happening again," she said.
Patty also works at the Arrowhead mall location of her store. And back in January, she experienced a different shooting scare.
"I got a text message from my manager telling me we were on lockdown because someone tried to fire a weapon," she remembered.
She had to lock up the store and hide, much like she did Wednesday during the shooting at the Outlets. In the Arrowhead Mall case, Glendale police say no shots were fired, but police did arrest one of the food court employees who allegedly came into the mall with a holstered gun.
"I was flabbergasted, honestly," Patty told. "One, by the fact that that could happen. Two, the lack of security."
The shooting at Tanger means she's endured two gun-related lockdowns in less than four months. She's stunned this has happened to her twice.
"Knowing young kids were involved and then on top of that - an even smaller child was injured - it broke my heart," she shared. "Not only are these kids thinking it's okay, but that this is happening. Especially so close to home."
Once Patty realized the shooting at Tanger was more than a scare, she stayed put until she was cleared to leave.
"I don't want to die is the main thing going through my head," she shared.
Once she made it outside, she said she ran into two strangers who prayed over her; then, she went to reunite with her boyfriend in a parking lot.
"I was so sad, but I was so relieved," she said. "And I kept telling myself I'm happy to be alive, I'm happy to be okay."
Patty said she's grateful for the fast response by police and others at the Tanger Outlets for keeping her and others safe. She was able to take some time off before returning to work Friday. She's determined to keep working to save money to buy a house.
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