Alleged Green Acres Mall shooter arrested

A man was arrested in connection  to a shooting in which a single round was fired at a clothing store at the Green Acres Mall on the morning of Oct. 23. Nicholas Hibbert allegedly opened fire when a security guard tried to stop him from leaving the Clique clothing store without paying for his clothes at 11:14 a.m.

Hibbert allegedly ran off and drove away in a red SUV. The incident triggered an immediate lockdown of the mall’s stores and sent Valley Stream District 30 and the Valley Stream Central High School District under lockout procedures.

“At around 11:15 a.m. the Nassau County Homeland Security notified South High School of police activity at Green Acres Mall, and the school was placed on lockout,” said Valley Stream Central High  School District superintendent Wayne Loper. “At around 12:30 p.m. law enforcement officials informed South that it was safe for the lockout to be lifted.

“We always make the safety and security of our students and staff an absolute priority, and at no point were students or staff at the building in any danger,” he noted in a statement. After an investigation, he was taken into custody on Oct. 27 and was charged with attempted murder, robbery, criminal possession of a weapon, criminal use of a firearm, criminal possession of stolen property, and reckless endangerment. He was arraigned that same day at First District Court in Hempstead.

Difference between lockout and lockdown

During a school lockout, all school personnel and students are moved securely inside the building.  While normal activities may go on, until receiving clearance from police that everything is safe, the district may be on standby for a potential lockdown.

During a lockdown, students and staff lock themselves within classrooms and secure rooms and hide from view, typically when a dangerous person is identified to be nearby or inside a school building. 

Anyone with information can call Nassau County Crime Stoppers at 1-800-244-8477, or 911. All callers will remain anonymous.

Additional reporting by Mark Nolan.