LUSH hands out gift bag to shoppers sheltering in store during mall shooting

2025-02-11 5

A woman who was sheltering in a LUSH store during a shooting was handed a gift bag on her way out.

Natalie Locke, 31, was at The Maine Mall in South Portland last Friday (Feb 5) with her fiancé Austin Davis, 27, when the building was put on lockdown due to an active shooter situation.

The couple were in the cosmetics store LUSH at the time and staff ushered them into the back room along with six other customers.

The group sheltered in place for two hours until the store's manager was notified that the lockdown was lifted and the police was evacuating the building.

But before they left, LUSH staff handed out gift bags with shower gel, a couple of bath bombs and shower jelly.

The suspected shooter Ahmed Basheer Awad, 20, handed himself into police the following afternoon (Feb 6).

Awad faces charges of elevated aggravated assault, a Class A crime and reckless conduct with a dangerous weapon.

Public safety officials said one person was injured and taken to Maine Medical Center for treatment.