Mall Evacuated After Black Friday Shooting; Three People Shot

A mall in North Carolina was evacuated on Black Friday after a shooting occurred on the second floor.

ABC News reported that three people were shot in the Southpoint Mall in Durham, North Carolina, around 3:23 p.m.

“The shooting victims included a 10-year-old who suffered a bullet ricochet injury that appears to be non-life-threatening, police said. The conditions of the other two shooting victims are unknown,” the outlet reported. “Additionally, three people suffered non-life-threatening injuries while evacuating the mall, police said.”

The Durham Police Department (DPD) put out a statement on Twitter regarding the incident:

DPD is investigating a shooting incident at The Streets at Southpoint. The mall is being evacuated and will be closed while DPD investigates the incident. Motorists are advised to avoid the area. There is no further threat at the mall.

DPD is investigating a shooting incident at The Streets at Southpoint. The mall is being evacuated and will be closed while DPD investigates the incident. Motorists are advised to avoid the area. There is no further threat at the mall.

— DurhamPoliceNC (@TheDurhamPolice) November 26, 2021

The DPD further reported that one person has been taken into custody, but others involved in the shooting are still on the loose. The police department added that those involved apparently knew each other, so this “did not appear to be a random incident.”

More from ABC:

Shoppers recounted people running and screaming after hearing multiple gunshots.

“There were people being trampled, going up and down the escalator,” Aleaha Marr, who was shopping with a friend at the mall at the time of the shooting, told ABC Raleigh station WTVD.

“I’ll never come back to this mall again. I know that much,” she told the station. “The holidays, people should be happy for what they have. You shouldn’t be worrying about other people shooting other people.”

As The Washington Post reported, homicides are on the rise in major cities, and gun violence incidents have risen in Durham this year. From the Post:

Homicides rose in 29 major U.S. cities through September compared with the same period last year, according to the Council on Criminal Justice, a Washington-based institute. Killings across the country spiked nearly 30 percent in 2020, the FBI has said.

According to data from Gun Violence Archive, an independent data collection and research group, Durham has seen 154 gun violence incidents this year as of Friday evening — leaving 39 dead and 140 people injured. Last year, 36 people died and 152 were wounded in the 156 recorded incidents.

Reuters reported that across the country in Kennewick, Washington, a security officer shot a man suspected of attempted theft.

“The shooting occurred when the suspect, confronted as he was leaving the store, pointed a gun at the officer. The officer then drew his own weapon and opened fire at the suspect, who fled the scene but was arrested at a nearby home, according to police,” Reuters reported. “The suspect, taken to an area hospital for treatment of his wounds, was already wanted on nine outstanding warrants and now faces additional robbery and assault charges, police said in a statement. No one else was injured at the Walmart. Local media reported the shooting stirred panic at the discount store, which was evacuated and closed immediately after the incident but reopened hours later.”

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