Shots reported in mall

Associated Press

RALEIGH, N.C.

Witness reports of gunshots ringing out inside a busy North Carolina mall caused chaos Saturday afternoon as shoppers ran screaming for the doors or sheltered in stores while dozens of officers arrived.

Police said hours later they were investigating but hadn’t confirmed whether any shots had been fired, adding no one was found wounded by gunfire although there were several minor injuries among people running away. The shopping complex in an affluent area of Raleigh was put on lockdown while helicopters buzzed overhead and numerous law-enforcement vehicles swarmed the shopping area.

Raleigh police said they initially responded at 2:30 p.m. to reports that shots had been fired inside Crabtree Valley Mall. They said they had not made any arrests by late afternoon.

“We are examining all possibilities,” Raleigh Police Chief Cassandra Deck-Brown told reporters at a news conference.

The police chief said no shell casings had been found by late afternoon. But she noted that witnesses heard what sounded like gunshots, and added the heavy police presence showed that the department was taking the situation seriously.

Eight people ranging in age from 10 to 70 were transported to hospitals for treatment of injuries suffered as they rushed to leave the mall, she said. None of those injuries appeared to be life-threatening.

Video posted on social media sites shows dozens of people running toward mall exit doors as numerous screams were heard. Outside the mall, where people gathered afterward, a police officer got on the loudspeaker of a firetruck and said there was no one shot in the mall. Witnesses described chaos after reports of shots.

John Riggleman and Kristin Warring said in an interview that they were heading to a video-game store when they heard shots coming from the food court. They quickly ran into the store with dozens of others. Police told them they could leave the store about 3 p.m.