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On Friday, December 23, a shooting at the Mall of America Nordstrom in Bloomington, Minnesotta, left a 19-year-old dead.
As per Fox, the shooting stemmed from an altercation between 2 groups of young people. Authorities noted that the case remains under investigation, and no suspects have been identified. Bloomington authorities also didn't name the victim.
In mall video surveillance, the 2 groups of young people can be seen fighting before one person pulls out a gun and opens fire. In the footage recorded during the shooting, shoppers can be seen under a lockdown that was implemented in order to keep them safe.
Shoppers can be seen standing around Mall of America stores, checking their phones for updates. The shooting reportedly lasted about 30 seconds.
Officials comment on the Mall of America shooting
In an official statement, Bloomington Police Chief Booker Hodges said that besides the deceased 19-year-old victim, another Mall of America shopper was injured during the shooting incident when a bullet grazed their jacket. Hodges noted that officials are in the early stages of the investigation.
He said:
“We are going to catch you, we are going to lock you up and you are going to get an orange jumpsuit. It’s just a matter of when it’s going to happen.”
He also noted that if anyone knowingly helped the shooting suspects in any form, they could face criminal charges.
Hodges said:
“If anybody helps these people — I mean so much as buy them a Happy Meal, give them a ride. We’re going to lock you up with them.”
Hodges also commented on the family of the 19-year-old victim:
"This is a tragedy and I’m really trying to contain how I really feel about this, but we’re going to catch these people, believe that. The family here — I really feel bad for them. Their last week before Christmas and now they’re having to bury one of their loved ones.”
Hodges also said that while the shooting started after an altercation, authorities do not know how the situation began.
In an interview with the Associated Press Jenny Hefty, a Sioux Falls woman, said that she was in the area at the time of the shooting. She said that she saw several teens running past them.
Hefty said:
“At first we thought they were just messing around. It was like why are all these kids running by us? Of course we wanted to come early and do some Christmas shopping."
KARE reported that the Mall of America is trying to implement the use of metal detectors in order to avoid future incidents.
