OCALA, Fla. — The Ocala Police Department in coordination with the Florida Crisis Response Team held an informational session for survivors of the Paddock Mall shooting. Attendees were able to learn about coping mechanisms and resources available for themselves and their families.

Just days before Christmas, the Paddock Mall was bustling much like any other mall in the country.

"You had high school students singing. You had children shopping for candy," said Jennifer Murty, who was there on Dec. 23.

Within seconds, she said it all came to a screeching halt.

"I heard a sound behind me that sounded like a shot," Murty said.

The police department has named Albert Shell Jr. as the suspect in the shooting that killed 40-year-old David Nathaniel Barron and injured a woman. Officials said Shell had previous warrants before December shooting.

Murty said she rushed underneath a nearby table where she had been wrapping Christmas presents seconds before.

As a journalist, and publisher of the Ocala Gazette, she followed up on the shooting closely for her own reporting. Murty said gathering mall surveillance video in the days after the shooting may have helped her cope with the events.

"I think maybe the difference for other people is they went home and tried to forget it," she said. "I almost feel like addressing it maybe helped me."

Other witnesses of the shooting are now faced with identifying their own coping mechanisms. It's an effort which the Ocala Police Department hoped to address during its community meeting Thursday night.

In attendance was Elaine Springer, who was also at the mall that day.

"There isn't a day that goes by that I don't think about it," Springer said through tears.

Springer said she was rushed through a back area of the mall, but in the frightful moments she struggled to keep up with her granddaughter.

"She just kept pulling me and telling me, 'Please keep going,'" Springer said.

Springer said coming together with other survivors helped her work through some of her feelings — and she said she would attend other meetings if they become available.

Meanwhile, Murty said she hopes the tragedy may encourage county officials to enact new emergency response initiatives.

"I would love if they would consider creating a task force," she said. "So whether there's a storm, whether there's a shooting and there's a lot of people affected, mental health counselors can come together quickly."

Shell, the suspected shooter, has not been located, and the Ocala Police Department is offering a $15,000 reward for information that leads to his arrest. Anyone with information about Shell or the Dec. 23 shooting is asked to call 352-656-6137.

Anyone who may be struggling with mental health issues can find information and support lines at the Florida Health website.