A man was killed while a woman was left injured as a result of a mass shooting in a mall in Florida’s Ocala on Saturday afternoon, according to Ocala Police Chief Mike Balken.
Balken revealed that the police received 911 calls describing an “active shooter” scenario with multiple shots fired inside the Paddock Mall, so they responded with a heavy police presence, CNN reported.
“Officers immediately made entry into the mall and ultimately discovered this was not an active shooter situation,” Balken said.
According to Balken, the police have attributed the shooting incident to a “targeted act of violence”, with one adult male found dead from gunshot wounds and one woman suffering a leg injury.
He added that the woman is expected to survive after being transported to a hospital.
Police are on the lookout for a Black male wearing a black hoodie, pants, and a black mask. Meanwhile, the parking lot has reopened for residents to retrieve their vehicles, while the mall remains closed, according to the Ocala Police Department.
Syriah Williams, 18, was shopping with her mother at the mall when the shooting occurred. She said that they heard one shot, then three more, and chaos ensued.
Mall employees instructed everyone to run, and Williams managed to escape through the storage area, opened by the employees, and a hallway leading to a back exit.
WPG, owners of the Paddock Mall, issued a statement Saturday night following the shooting: “We are deeply saddened by this tragedy. Our thoughts are with all those involved. The safety of our guests, retailers and employees is our top priority. We are working closely with the Ocala Police Department as they investigate this incident.”
Gun violence deaths are approaching 42,000 for the year, according to the Gun Violence Archive, CNN reported.
Communities large and small across the country are searching for ways to curb the violence, as state-level efforts to regulate firearms in California, New York, Maryland and elsewhere have failed in court.
The shooting occurred at a shopping mall only two days before Christmas which, according to analysts, is one of the busiest shopping days of the year, second only to Black Friday.
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