After deadly shooting, Braintree’s South Shore Plaza beefing up security with K9 patrols and more cameras
Braintree MA Feb 2, 2022 The South Shore Plaza in Braintree is boosting security measures with K-9 patrols, additional cameras and more in the wake of a deadly shooting in a store.
The fatal shooting of 26-year-old Dorchester man Dijoun Beasley a week ago was the latest in a string of shootings at the mall. The suspect in the deadly shooting — Julius Hammond-Desir, 19, of Maynard — remains at-large.
The South Shore Plaza said it’s beefing up security with K-9 weapons detection patrols; more CCTV coverage for both the mall’s exterior and interior; and additional armed security guards.
“We are meeting with the elected officials of Braintree to discuss the ways we can collaboratively support our continued efforts to keep the community safe,” South Shore Plaza said in a statement.
“South Shore Plaza is committed to doing all that it can to provide a safe, pleasurable shopping experience for its customers, retailers and employees,” the mall added.
The mall also announced it’s adding portable elevated observational towers and CCTV towers used by police departments around the country.
South Shore Plaza’s CCTV system is connected to the police department and is now extended to Simon’s Operational Intelligence Center — a centralized security monitoring intelligence center manned by 120 personnel.
“These items are in addition to the police substation located on property, the numerous armed police officers that patrol the property daily and the property’s private security force,” South Shore Plaza said in its security announcement.
The Norfolk District Attorney’s Office alleges that Hammond-Desir fatally shot Beasley at an undisclosed store on the main floor of the mall around 3 p.m. last Saturday.
The shooter fled the area. Beasley was unarmed and shot at close range. A murder arrest warrant has been issued.
An Attleboro woman, Samantha Schwartz, accused of being an accessory after the fact to the murder, pled not guilty to the charges in her arraignment last week.
