Ten people have been shot and two others injured in a shooting at a shopping mall in South Carolina’s capital that authorities do not believe was a random attack.
Three people who had firearms have been detained in connection with the Saturday afternoon shooting at Columbiana Centre, Columbia Police Chief WH “Skip” Holbrook said.
He said at least one of those three people fired a weapon.
“We don’t believe this was random,” Mr Holbrook said. “We believe they knew each other and something led to the gunfire.”
Advertisement— Columbia Police Dept (@ColumbiaPDSC) April 16, 2022
Authorities said no deaths have been reported but eight of the victims were taken to hospital. Two were in critical condition and six were in stable condition, Mr Holbrook said.
The victims ranged in age from 15 to 73, he added.
The mall was being evacuated store-by-store and police urged anyone still sheltering inside to call 911 so authorities could find them.
Daniel Johnson said he and his family were visiting from Alabama and were eating in the food court when they heard shots ring out and started seeing people running.
He said people were screaming for their children and spouses, knocking over tables in the food court as they fled.
“Everybody was trying to get outside,” Mr Johnson said. “When I was coming out, you could see baby strollers turned over, people’s phones and left keys. It was kind of a hectic situation.”
He said he gathered his wife, daughter and son and began heading towards the exit after letting the crowd clear for a while.
“My biggest thing was — and not to sound selfish — was to make sure that our family was OK and to get them out safely, because this is not something that we love to do for Easter weekend.”
Workers from a couple of stores gathered in the mostly empty car park on Saturday evening said they had not heard or seen anything during the shooting but followed the mall’s alert system and were evacuated by police shortly after.
They said they had been waiting for hours for police to let them back inside to retrieve their car keys and personal belongings so they could leave.
“Today’s isolated, senseless act of violence is extremely upsetting and our thoughts are with everyone impacted,” Columbiana Centre said in a statement.
“We are grateful for the quick response and continued support of our security team and our partners in law enforcement.”
The shooting is the latest in a rash of shootings at or near malls across the country.
A 15-year-old boy was shot in the head on Wednesday outside Brooklyn’s Atlantic Terminal Mall. His injuries were not believed to be life-threatening. Police said he was with a group of boys outside the mall when they got into a dispute with a second group.
On Tuesday, a southern California shoe store owner mistakenly shot a nine-year-old girl while firing at two shoplifters at the Mall of Victor Valley, police said.
Earlier this month, police said six people were killed and 12 wounded in Sacramento, California, during a gunfight between rival gangs as bars closed in a busy area near the Downtown Commons shopping mall and the state Capitol.
