Shots rang out in a North Carolina Mall on Christmas Eve. Busy Northlake Mall shoppers found themselves in the midst of gunfire after an altercation occurred between two groups of people.
Natasha Columbus and Nicole Kirkpatrick, co-workers at the mall's Locker Room Sportings Goods store, heard shots fired. Columbus fled to safety, while Kirkpatrick investigated the gunfire. Peering through a nearby store window, Kirkpatrick saw a man lying on the ground, according to The Charlotte Observer.
Detectives labeled the incident an officer involved shooting, according to Financial CV.
"Preliminary information on scene indicates that an argument started inside the mall between two groups of subjects around 2 p.m., at which point officers who were working off-duty at the mall arrived on scene. There was one armed subject that was shot during the argument and he was pronounced deceased on scene by Medic," a statement from the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department read.
Journeys manager Shauntelle Hamrick said that she saw a group "gang up" on a single person. A friend of the antagonized person was shot after another man pulled out a gun, Hamrick said. It was not known whether this person was the same as mentioned in the police report.
Several mall employees locked shoppers inside their stores, and ushered them through back doors. Shopper Lauren Malone, who spoke to CNN, said that the mall was extremely crowded. Ambulances arrived to aid several patients, including a woman who went into labor, a person with an injured leg, and a person who suffered an asthma attack, according to ABC-7.
As of 4:20 PM local time Jeff Keith, an emergency medical services official, stated that the incident was no longer considered an active shooter situation. However some people were still locked inside stores, with officials attempting to get them out, according to The News Herald.