Florida [US]: A man was killed and a woman injured in a shooting inside a mall at Ocala in Florida on Saturday afternoon, CNN reported citing Ocala Police chief Mike Balken.
Balken said the police received 911 calls about multiple shots fired inside the Paddock Mall, with the caller reporting an “active shooter scenario”, CNN reported, adding that a heavy police team was rushed to the scene to respond to the situation.
“Officers immediately made entry into the mall and eventually discovered this was not an active shooter situation,” the police chief said.
The police, instead, characterised the shooting incident as a targeted act of violence, Balken added, according to CNN.
Following the incident, the judge halted California law that would have banned carrying concealed firearms in many public places.
The police chief confirmed further that a man was found dead inside the mall from gunshot wounds. He added that a woman suffered a gunshot wound to her leg. She was shifted to a hospital and is expected to survive, Balten said.
However, police are still searching for the suspect, who was reportedly described as a Black male wearing a black hoodie, black pants and a black mask over his face.
According to CNN, while the parking lot of the mall has been reopened for residents to retrieve their vehicles, the mall remains closed, the Ocala Police Department said on a social media post.
One of the people present at the mall during the shooting said they heard one shot, and, after a pause, three other shots rang out.
“We heard one shot then a pause then 3 other shots rang out and chaos erupted,” Syriah Williams, 18, who was shopping with her mother, said.
Williams added that the mall employees opened the back storage area and instructed everyone to run, CNN reported, adding that she made her way through the storage area and down a hallway that led to a back exit.
Following the shooting, WPG, owners of the Paddock Mall issued a statement on Saturday night.
“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,” the statement read.
According to the Gun Violence Archive, deaths caused by Gun violence are approaching 42,000 for the year, reported CNN.
Large and small communities 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 took place at a shopping mall on one of the busiest shopping days of the year, second only to Black Friday, analysts said.
