"Secret Garden" themed play area, and a feature coffee kiosk. After the foreclosure of Northwest Plaza in September 2009, Somera was no longer associated with the property. Crime After the expansion of Northwest Plaza, the mall developed a reputation for crime. Part of this was because of multiple fatal shootings that occurred at the mall. The first fatality was in 1990. There was a second shooting in 1994 inside the Famous-Barr store, which resulted in the death of a teenager. In 2006, the third shooting involved an off-duty police officer who fatally shot a man inside the mall. Damage The mall suffered from a leaking roof. Also, crumbling floor tiles in the north court caused by the leaking roof between the former Sears and Dillard’s required it to be blocked off from foot traffic. The Tilt! arcade's 18-hole miniature golf course left behind after it closed was damaged beyond repair by vandalism, and subsequently the basement area was walled off. The food court which used to contain a 12-bay court, as well as the 9-screen cinema were also both walled off due to the extensive water damage. Decline The anchor stores once included (even as of 2008) Famous-Barr (later Macy's), Steve & Barry's, Dillard's and Sears. Other anchors at one time included JCPenney and Burlington Coat Factory. Junior anchors included the Wehrenburg Northwest Plaza 9 screen cinema, Tilt! arcade, Office Max as well as Schweig Engel Furniture and Toys "R" Us (built on part of the mall's massive parking lot). Northwest Plaza's highest grossing sales year was 2001. The early 2000s recession caused a small decline in the number of stores occupying Northwest Plaza. A rapid decline began in 2004, due to the increased competition from St. Louis Mills mall, which opened only away from Northwest Plaza. At the same time, the mall was suffering from lack of upkeep by then current owner Westfield. The mall's roof was examined under their ownership, and determined it needed to be replaced, among other things. Rather than the expensive rehabilitation of the mall, Westfield concluded it would not be cost effective, and decided to sell the mall entirely. When it was sold in 2006, Northwest Plaza had an occupancy rate of just 64%. Business continued to decline and when the late 2000s recession hit, most of the remaining stores vacated the mall. It was considered a dead mall by 2009. JCPenney was the