Shards of glass and the sound of shattering at Washington Square Mall in Tigard unleashed a wave of panic among shoppers yesterday. Contrary to circulating rumors, there was no active shooter at the scene. The commotion, as confirmed by Tigard police, was caused by a disgruntled employee who broke a glass case inside a store, a fact initially reported by KOIN. The sound of the breaking glass led people to believe that gunshots had been fired, resulting in multiple 911 calls around 12:35 p.m. that day.
Tigard Police spokesperson Kelsey Anderson immediately responded to the incident, stating via KOIN, "About 12:35 this afternoon, we started getting calls from several people calling into 911 who thought there was some kind of shots fired or active shooter incident at Washington Square Mall. Fortunately that was not the case." Marketed as an episode of violence, the story quickly spread, sparking unwarranted fear. However, after ensuring that there was no threat, the police clarified on social media there was "NEVER a shooting or shots fired, as some rumors indicated", a detail highlighted by KGW. Despite these reassurances, there was a brief moment of chaos during the incident, with unconfirmed reports of some mall employees being evacuated. However, Tigard police emphasized that no official evacuations were ordered.
By early Sunday afternoon, the police had fully assessed the situation and reaffirmed the area's safety. The scare led to an extensive mall inspection to confirm that no further dangers were present. This incident underscores the heightened awareness and tension that exists in public spaces, where the sound of breaking glass can trigger an immediate association with gun violence—a sign of the times in which we live. According to a brief statement by KPTV, police reassured the community just after 1 p.m., stating decisively that there was no shooting. No further details about the incident or the employee involved were provided.
