DOTHAN, Ala. (WDNews) – A father getting a Sunday afternoon haircut at Wiregrass Commons Mall found himself shielding his daughter and hair stylist as gunfire erupted around 3:50 p.m. inside the shopping center at the Not Just Cuts, a shop in the mall.
Jason, who asked that his last name not be used, said he and his 17-year-old daughter were at the barber shop for what should have been a normal visit. “Toni, she has cut my hair for almost 2 years at the barber shop,” he said.
Everything changed in seconds according to his recounts of the intense moments. “Three guys walked in and up to the guy directly in front of me. It’s probably 15-20 yards across,” Jason recalled. “They opened up a back pack and showed him something. They turned and started to walk out. The guy in the chair jumped up and pulled a small caliber handgun from his waist. He fired 3 shots from inside the shop to the interior of the mall.”
According to Dothan police a life threatening threat was made during this period to the man getting his hair cut.
Jason said instinct immediately took over. “I immediately jumped out of my chair grabbed my daughter and put her on the floor. I got Toni down and I shielded them with my body,” he said. “Then 15–20 more shots rang out. Some return fire from the other 3 guys I guess because some of the rounds came through the glass window.”
As bullets shattered glass and echoed through the mall, Jason kept his daughter and hair stylist close to the ground. “The guy that was getting his hair cut came back in and I told my daughter and Toni to stay still,” he said. “I asked Toni if there was an exit in the back and she said yes. Do you want to make a run for it. I said no. He went back there.”
A few tense minutes later, help arrived. “I looked up and a deputy was outside pulling the guy who had been shot by his arm out of the way,” Jason said.
That deputy was later identified as Lt. Hopkins with the Houston County Sheriff’s Office, who was the first officer to the scene.
“I raised both of my hands and he gave a signal to stay down,” Jason said. “I pointed to the back and he gave me a thumbs up.”
Shortly after, Dothan Police officers entered the mall and made their way to the area of the shooting. “A couple of minutes later Dothan PD came in and got us out,” Jason said. “I told my daughter to take my hand and keep her eyes closed. I didn’t want her to see the guy that had been shot.”
On the way out, Jason noticed a weapon near the scene.
“As we went out I saw him (shooting victim) and a small AR with a 50 round drum on it. Police got us outside and I could finally breathe.”
The father said it wasn’t until later that night that the reality of what happened began to sink in. “Dad instincts kicked in,” Jason said. “My daughter told me that night that I was her hero because she froze and I acted quickly. That hit the dad heart hard.
Authorities confirmed the injured man as Korion Michael Salter, who remains hospitalized in critical condition. He was also a shooter in the incident. Another suspect, on the run is Sharier AlQuan Caesar, 25, of Greenville, North Carolina currently but was originally from Dothan and went to Dothan High School.
This story is no reflection or negativity on Not Just Cuts or Wiregrass Commons Mall. We have a long list as a nation on where shootings occur, a large majority of the time its bad actors involved. Not bad businesses, schools or churches. ~Sharla
