OCALA, Fla. – A group of people affected by the Paddock Mall shooting met with victim advocates providing trauma resources inside Ocala Police Headquarters on Thursday.
The Florida Crisis Response Team and other mental health advocates provided the services free of charge for survivors.
Ocala police said David Barron, 40, was shot and killed at the mall. Investigators said a woman was also injured.
Elaine Springer said she was inside Starbucks at the Paddock Mall on Dec. 23 when the shooting happened.
“There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t think about it,” Springer said. “I thought I was having a heart attack because I was feeling so tight in my chest, and she just kept pulling me and telling me, ‘Please keep going,’ and we made it.”
Dr. Christine Cauffield with LSF Health Systems said it’s important the witnesses have a place to talk about what they experienced.
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“Anytime that you fear for your own life, for someone else’s life or witness a tragedy such as this, it really fuels your own body and your own emotions,” Cauffield said. “The good news is it’s the sign of health to reach out for additional support when you need it so I’m proud of everybody showing up today.”
Teens Annabella Lanahan and Alyssa McDaniel said they were inside a clothing store in the mall when the shooting happened.
“I remember getting out and running as fast as we could out, and then I was having a panic attack, and I was just crying,” Lanahan said. “I’ll just randomly start thinking about it, and I’ll just like cry about it. Or I’ll panic if I’m out in public. I haven’t been able to go out in public because I’m just scared to go out.”
Ocala police are offering a $15,000 reward for the arrest of the suspected shooter, Albert Shell Jr.
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