Two people were injured after a “shooting incident” at the Mall of America in Minnesota on Friday evening. It appears there was an argument between two males which resulted in a gunshot.
According to the Bloomington Police Department, there was a “shooting incident” at the Mall of America, in which two people were injured. None of them is serious.
As it was the holiday season, the Mall was pretty crowded. Everyone panicked, but the timely action of the security system and police helped to control the situation.
After a short lockdown, the mall has resumed normal operations and the scene is secure, the police department made a statement on twitter.
During a press conference on Friday evening, Bloomington Police Department Deputy Chief Kim Clauson was briefed about the situation. According to the Police, the shooting happened at around 5 p.m. One of the police officers who were in the area of the incident said he heard one gunshot.
According to Clauson, one male was transported to a local hospital after being shot in the leg, but his injuries are not life-threatening.
Another individual was grazed by a bullet but was not transported to a local hospital by ambulance.
The police said that the officers provided aid until he was taken by Allina paramedics to Hennepin County Medical Center
Deputy Chief Kim Clauson said that it appears there was an altercation between two males and the gunshot was a result of their arguments.
She said that the Mall of America does prohibit guns, but individuals aren’t checked for weapons when they enter.
A witness said to the reporter “ We just heard a loud thing. We were on the north side of the mall and heard a loud bang. People were scattering on the third floor”.
Michelle Ronfeldt, who was in town from Texas visiting Mall of America for New Year’s Eve, described the sound of the gunshot as an “explosion” and a “boom.”
“I turned around and everyone’s reacting, their faces were horror… started running,” Ronfeldt said. “It was scarier than heck.”
People visiting the mall described a “panicked stampede” right around the time the shooting occurred. Dawn Trautman, who was visiting the mall while on vacation from New York City, was in Zara during the lockdown.
“People were even running down the ‘up’ escalator, just trying to get out of there,” Trautman said. “It’s crazy because I have lived in New York City for 18 years, and I have never seen anything like this at all.”
Jill Varpness, a Minnesota native who brought her family up from Tennessee for the holiday, said she did not hear the shooting but headed toward the basement during the lockdown.
“Deep down, my gut told me, ‘there’s something going on’ and I just need to protect my family,” Varpness said. “Just very thankful we’re not injured, and we’re safe. I just can’t believe on New Year’s Eve, we’re trying to have a great time out with family — and that something like this would happen.”
The Mall of America Security System
Every month retailers at the Mall of America prepare for the worst with lockdown drills in case of emergency and on new years eve, they put practice into action. Frightened shoppers poured out of the mall of America after learning of a shooting inside.
Officials of Mall of America further made a statement regarding this
Thank you to all of our guests and tenants who responded quickly and followed security guidance during tonight’s mall-wide lockdown. We can confirm an incident occurred this evening and the lockdown has since been lifted. Mall of America is scheduled to reopen Saturday at 10 a.m.
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The quick-thinking on the part of store workers was part of a large system of safety protocols and emergency preparedness training, according to security expert Michael Rozin.
Rozin is president of Rozin Security Consulting and has more than 20 years of experience in the world of international security, law enforcement, and counterterrorism. For six years, he worked with Mall of America.
While not speaking officially on behalf of the Mall, Rozin says he has knowledge that the business takes security “very, very seriously.”
“They have invested a significant amount of effort to institute this response to active threat situations like what we have seen yesterday,” Rozin said, referencing the training of the tenants and store employees.
“All the tenants and employees are regularly trained in those methods, and I think they just responded as they were trained, which was good,” he said.
The police are carrying out further investigations regarding the incident and will respond to it in future.
