Shopper's gun discharges in Castleton Square
By Gina Barton
[email protected]
December 24, 2001
A crowd of holiday shoppers was stunned into silence after a .38-caliber handgun went off in the Castleton Square Mall food court about 3:30 p.m. Sunday. So was the gun's owner.
"It scared the hell out of me, because I thought somebody was shooting at us," said Charles Whitacre, whose weapon accidentally discharged.
Whitacre, 43, of Noblesville, said he and his 19-year-old daughter had just finished eating when his holster snagged on the chair and broke. The gun fell out and went off.
Whitacre said he felt the wind from the bullet as it flew past his head. The bullet lodged in the ceiling near Sakkio Japan restaurant, frightening the manager, Bobby Foo.
"Everybody in the whole mall was scared and quiet," Foo said. "It was very lucky nobody got hurt."
A female passer-by was startled when she kicked the weapon, Foo said. Then Whitacre retrieved it.
"He picked his derringer up and went on sauntering down the mall like it happens every day," said Sgt. George Martin of the Marion County Sheriff's Department.
Whitacre, who said he bought the gun for personal protection and is legally licensed, described Sunday's events as "a total accident."
"I just thank God nobody was wounded," he said.
After Whitacre picked up his gun, several officers followed him into a retail space occupied by Bath and Body Works and the White Barn Candle Co. Sheriff's deputies were already on the mall property, directing the busy traffic.
"I saw seven cops running by, and they ran into the store, and a crowd started gathering," said Oscar McClyde, who was working in the Colts Pro Shop kiosk near the candle shop.
"There were still customers in there," said Eric Myles, working in the Brookstone kiosk beside the Colts Pro Shop. "One guy was standing there looking at the candles. He was totally unfazed."
Whitacre said he got the permit 10 years ago, when he owned a restaurant. He now is a contractor. Deputies handcuffed Whitacre temporarily inside the store but released him after they discovered his permit.
The two stores were closed for 20 to 30 minutes after the incident, and mall security was stationed outside for about an hour.
"It really put a damper on our shopping," Whitacre said.
Whitacre's weapon and permit were temporarily confiscated, Martin said. They will be sent to the State Police for a hearing to determine whether Whitacre may continue to carry a weapon legally. Officers determined there was no reckless action or criminal intent, and the incident likely will not result in criminal charges.
Whitacre left the mall after his encounter with police and said he planned to finish his shopping today. "I think I'll be unarmed this time," he said.
Mall manager Michael D. Williams said Sunday's incident was "completely different" from a shooting that occurred at Castleton Square last month. On Nov. 30, James Barnett, 54, of Fishers shot himself at Galyan's Trading Co. with a store-owned gun, using a shell he had smuggled in. The store closed for the day while grief counselors met with employees who witnessed the suicide.
http://www.starnews.com/article.php?mall24.html