NEWS ANALYSIS
“We have breaking news out of Boise, Idaho tonight.”
Even in our changing media environment, hearing Lester Holt say that simple but foreign phrase on NBC Nightly News last night quickly caught my attention. Even though I knew what he was going to talk about, it felt no less jarring.
The network, and others, used video purportedly taken inside the mall. The view showed the center court area with gunshots echoing loudly through the cavernous halls.
The mall is a place nearly every resident of the Treasure Valley is familiar with. Though retail has changed and the heyday of malls in America is mostly behind us, Boise Towne Square remains relatively vibrant. You’ve probably picked up a Christmas gift or two, enjoyed an Orange Julius, or tried to stay out of the way of kids on the little motorized vehicles.
The video paired two things that were oddly familiar, but at the same time hard to process: The scene of Boise’s mall, with the sound of gunfire.
As of this writing, two people are dead, with another four suffering unknown injuries. A police officer was injured, but medical staff treated them and let them go. The suspect is in custody. We know little as of now about what prompted the shooting.
Boise is no stranger to shocking events. The killing of Ruya Kadir. The murder of Robert Manwill. These things tear at our sense of safety, even of community. Social media is flooded with heartfelt thoughts from regular people, community leaders, politicians, and more.
The latest crime data, from 2020, show the area remains fairly safe, with the overall crime rate still lower than a few years ago.
Today, we’re left trying to process how something so familiar could suddenly seem so scary. Boise isn’t close to alone – so many American cities have seen significant acts of violence in the past few decades. After shootings in other malls, movie theaters, concerts, schools and about anywhere else you can think of – most people have at least had the passing thought of “what would I do in this situation?”
For employees of the Apple store, the answer was to rush customers into a storage area. KBOI2 reports it’s a situation the tech. giant trains employees for.
Retail and service workers have been on the frontlines of so much over the past 18 months. Keeping stores open and available during the early and interim days of the pandemic. Dealing with frustrated people. Now, in the case of many at Boise Towne Square yesterday, handling what happens when gunshots ring out where they work. We owe these people our thanks, our gratitude – and in many cases, we probably owe them a listening ear.
I don’t have any profound words to share here.
I’ve lived in Boise since birth, save a few years when my career path took me away. But whether you were born here or just got here – you’re probably thinking about things today. Processing. Trying to get a grasp on what’s next. We’ll work it through together as a community. Talk to each other. Try to understand. And, I hope, have empathy where it’s appropriate. That’s truly what makes “#BoiseStrong.”
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