A 22-year-old suspect remains in police custody and is expected to be charged with illegal handgun possession.
At least 14 people were injured in a shooting at a busy shopping center in Columbia, the capital of the US state of South Carolina, and police said they had arrested a suspect.
The victims of Saturday’s shooting at the Columbiana Center ranged from 15 to 73, according to Columbia Police Chief WH “Skip” Holbrook, who added that 22-year-old Jewayne M Price was one of the original three. was detained as a person of interest, remains in police custody and is expected to be charged with illegal possession of a pistol.
Holbrook said no deaths have been reported but nine people were shot and five injured while trying to flee the mall.
Police said a 73-year-old victim continues to receive medical treatment, but the others have been discharged or will be released shortly.
“We don’t believe this is random,” Holbrook said. “We believe they knew each other and something led to the shooting.”
Investigators believe at least three suspects displayed firearms inside the mall and are working to determine how many of the suspects fired weapons. Police said at least one gun was seized.
Daniel Johnson, who was visiting from Alabama with his family, said they were eating in the food court when they first heard gunfire and started seeing people running.
Johnson said people were screaming and knocking over tables in the food court as they fled.
“Everybody was trying to get out,” Johnson said. “When I go out, you can see the baby stroller overturned, everyone’s phone and the key on the left. It was a hectic situation. “
Johnson said he gathered his wife, daughter and son and started walking towards the exit after letting the crowd clear a bit.
Heavy police presence continued in the area hours after the shooting, although officers began to drive more traffic through the streets around shopping centers and malls. Commercial strip is usually crowded on weekends.
Officers were also stationed outside a nearby hotel designated as a reunion area for those at the shooting scene and their families.
The shooting is the latest in a series of shootings at or near shopping malls around the country.
A 15-year-old boy was shot in the head Wednesday outside Atlantic Terminal Mall in Brooklyn.
On Tuesday, a Southern California shoe store owner mistakenly shot a nine-year-old girl while opening fire on two vendors in the Mall of Victor Valley, police said.
Earlier this month, police said six people were killed and 12 others injured in Sacramento, California, in a gunfight between rival gangs as bars closed in a busy area near downtown. Shopping Downtown Commons and the State Capitol.
