WASHINGTON – Gunshots caused panic at America’s largest mall yesterday, but the incident was soon resolved with no victims reported, according to officials.
The giant Mall of America complex in the midwestern state of Minnesota went into lockdown yesterday afternoon in what police described as an “active incident”.
Footage shared on social media, which could not be immediately authenticated, showed panicked shoppers running through the sprawling mall, which has more than 500 stores.
Police in the city of Bloomington described the event as “an isolated incident”, saying the suspect had fled the mall on foot.
“Based on information from police, this was an isolated dispute between the suspects and there is no longer a threat,” the Mall of America said in a statement on Twitter.
“MOA is scheduled to reopen today at 10 am.”
A video of the incident on Twitter appears to show a person shouting while walking into a Nike store. Several gunshots are then heard.
In a separate video, families pushing children in strollers are seen running through the mall in fear, clutching shopping bags, while security guards patrol the premises with guns drawn.
A message can be heard on a loudspeaker, telling shoppers, “Attention: those who are not currently in a secure location, seek shelter immediately.”
The United States has seen a wave of gun violence, with a record of approximately 45,000 deaths caused by firearms in 2020, according to federal data, but efforts at nationwide gun control have repeatedly failed. – AFP, August 5, 2022
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