Bag checkpoints go up days after slaying at Mall of America

The Mall of America is implementing bag checks at its entrances after last week's deadly shooting at the mall.

The mall said Wednesday that additional security resources have been put into place, in coordination with Bloomington police, that are "both visible and nonvisible" to mall visitors.

Security officers will begin to check bags at mall entrances. Mall staff didn't provide more details about the scope of the security measure.

"The Mall is significantly enhancing its security and police presence, along with implementing bag checks at entrances. ... Mall of America is a unique property, and we take the safety and security of our guests, team members, and tenants very seriously," the mall said in a statement.

Police arrested five people over the weekend in the shooting death of Johntae Hudson, 19, on Friday night. Late Wednesday, a district judge gave Hennepin County prosecutors an extra day, through Thursday, to decide on possible charges.

The shooting happened just before 8 p.m. inside the Nordstrom department store, prompting an hourlong shutdown on the busy night before Christmas Eve. Police said a disagreement between two groups of young men preceded the killing.

In the fall, the mall began to test metal detectors at one of its entrances. There have been a number of gun-related incidents at the mall in the past year, including in August when a man was apprehended with a loaded rifle during an attempted robbery of two stores.

Just weeks before that incident, three men were arrested and one of them was accused of firing several rounds inside a Nike store at the mall. Last New Year's Eve, two people were shot and wounded after a dispute on the third floor.

Police have always had a presence at the mall. Bloomington police have a special mall unit and an on-site office. The mall's security includes K9, bike patrol and plainclothes officers.