Apple abruptly closes North Carolina mall after series of shootings

Apple shut down an outpost in North Carolina without much warning a day after the latest round of shootings at a mall in the state’s largest city.

Apple’s retail store at the Northlake Mall in Charlotte was permanently closed on Wednesday afternoon – just hours after company officials told employees it was closed.

The shooting, most recently near a nearby Macy’s store on Tuesday, prompted the sudden closure, people familiar with the situation told Bloomberg.

It was the third incident of gun violence at the Northlake Mall in the past three months, according to local news outlet WBTV. No one was hurt in the latest incident.

However, local business owners said the shooting caused damage.

“It used to be crowded all the time, especially at night,” Tira Green, manager of the Red Crab restaurant, told the publication. “People now don’t feel safe going out at night, so that has affected us a lot.”

The company’s website for the Apple store at Northlake Mall now displays a “Thank you for visiting” message along with a notice informing customers that the store is closed.

“In preparation for the opening of a new store in the Charlotte area early next year, we will close permanently on Wednesday, March 1 at 4:00 pm,” the website says.

The company has two more stores in Charlotte.

“All members of our team will continue to support our Charlotte customers at Apple SouthPark and Apple Store Online,” the post reads.

The store closure is not expected to result in layoffs. Apple has about 270 US outlets.

The Post has reached out to Apple for comment on the matter.