Shooting at Mall of America: No initial reports of casualties.
Washington:
America’s largest shopping mall was locked down on Thursday for what police described as an “inactive incident”, with reports of shots being fired, sparking chaos inside. giant complex in midwestern Minnesota.
Footage shared on social media – which could not be immediately verified – shows panicked shoppers running through the sprawling shopping mall in Bloomington, home to more than 500 stores.
“Mall of America is currently on lockdown,” the mall tweeted on its official account, saying there had been a “confirmed isolated incident in a tenant space. “
“Please stay in the nearest safe location until the lockdown is lifted,” the mall wrote.
A video posted to Twitter appears to show a person shouting as they enter a Nike store. Several gunshots were then heard.
In a separate video, families pushing children in strollers are seen running through the mall in fear, clutching shopping bags, while security officers patrol the premises with guns withdraw.
An announcement can be heard over the loudspeaker, telling shoppers, “Attention: those who are not currently in a safe place, seek shelter immediately.”
Bloomington Police tweeted that they are “currently dealing with an ongoing incident inside the Mall of America” and that “lots of officers are at the scene.”
There were no initial reports of casualties.
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