Former security guard arrested following evacuation at Lafayette mall
LAFAYETTE, La. January 3, 2025 A Lafayette man is facing charges after reports of an active shooter prompted the evacuation of the Acadiana Mall this evening.
Around 5:30 p.m., the Lafayette Police Department (LPD) received a report of a person possibly armed with a firearm inside the Acadiana Mall on Johnston Street, LPD spokesperson Matthew Benoit said. The report prompted a response from several law enforcement agencies including LPD, the Lafayette Parish Sheriff’s Office, and Louisiana State Police.
Authorities conducted both interior and exterior sweeps of the mall, and no armed suspects were found, Benoit said.
Although information circulated on social media that gunshots were heard inside the mall, Benoit said, “Officers have no information confirming that shots were fired during the incident. During the mall’s evacuation, several businesses began closing their roll-down security doors, creating loud slamming sounds throughout the building, in addition to people yelling and fleeing the area.”
Lafayette police said investigators later learned Gregory Stevens, 38, had entered the mall sometime Thursday evening. Benoit said Stevens previously worked at the mall as a security guard before he was fired in December and banned from the property.
According to Benoit, witnesses reported Stevens was acting erratically, raising concern among mall patrons.
Stevens was later located and arrested at a home on Pleasant View Drive, Benoit said. He was booked on the following charges:
Terrorizing
Trespassing
Active warrant for possession of a stolen firearm
The investigation is ongoing.
