Raleigh, North Carolina – Shoppers dispersed when several shots were fired inside Crabtree Valley Mall on Glenwood Avenue on Thursday night.
The shootings occurred before 9 p.m. on the first floor, near an exit, according to officials. No one was shot.
Police said they believed the two people involved in the shooting knew each other, but that they had not taken any detainees.
Several police cars and ambulances responded to the scene after reports of the shooting.
After the shooting, the mall was evacuated and closed overnight.
The event terrified the people inside the mall, many of whom were doing Christmas shopping at the time.
A Bath and Body Works buyer shared a video with WRAL showing the chaotic moments. He said customers rushed to the back room to hide.
WRAL spectators at the mall said that when they heard the shots, they ran to hide. Some people hid in store closets to be safe.
Police are currently reviewing video footage to reconcile what exactly happened.
Amanda Johnson, who was in the dining area at the time, said a woman approached her while she was eating and told her they were shot inside the mall.
Johnson said he was leaving with a friend when officers stopped and ran inside the mall.
“My first thought was: my kids at home, we were trying to do Christmas shopping at the last minute,” he said.
Another woman said she was eating Kanki at the time.
“I left everything, I left my bags there because I had done some Christmas shopping,” he said. “I left my car.”
The social media pages of Crabtree Valley Mall show no indication that the mall will be closed on Friday.
