Six balloon pops and a fire alarm was all it took to convince Florida Mall shoppers that there was an active shooter in their midst.
Early Thursday afternoon, reports circulated on social media of loud popping sounds, light bulbs blowing out and a fire alarm in the food court.
I'm hearing chairs falling, balloons, short circuits, and construction equipment #floridamall
Spoke to store assistants & one of the kiosks at the food court had a short circuit. Blew the light bulbs in quick succession. #floridamall
According to the Orlando Sentinel, the sounds and alarm were part of an inspection for the grand opening of Fatone's new hot dog stand, aptly named Fat One's.
Orange County Fire Medical and Orange County Sheriff's deputies arrived at the scene shortly after the initial reports and confirmed there was no shooter. OCFM spokeswoman Ngoc Huynh told the Orlando Sentinel that nine shoppers were injured with "mostly falls, scrapes and twisted knees."
With the Pulse mass shooting still very much in Orlando's rear view mirror, this incident came with some heavy emotional baggage. Luckily in this case, we've got Twitter to shamelessly get us through these hard times.
#FloridaMall, no active shooter, just popping balloons, guns don't kill people, balloons kill people
ban all balloons #floridamall
When A Balloon Pops In Florida We Think... ðð«ðð«ðð«#FloridaMall #FloridaShooting #FalseAlarm
The only thing that will stop a bad man with a balloon is a good man with a balloon. #floridamall
Share This Article
