CNN
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A 19-year-old man was shot and killed Friday during an altercation at Minnesota’s Mall of America, the largest shopping center in the US, police said.
Officers heard gunshots on the first floor of Nordstrom just before 8 p.m. local time. When they entered the department store, they found a man shot multiple times, Bloomington Police Chief Booker Hodges said during a news conference late Friday night. Police are working to identify the suspect.
Lifesaving measures were performed but were unsuccessful, while a bystander who was grazed by a bullet is expected to survive, Hodges said.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said his office was working with local officials to provide support and resources, tweeting that “the violence at MOA last night is absolutely unacceptable.”
Police are expected to provide an update on the investigation Saturday evening.
The 30-year-old mall, about 10 miles south of downtown Minneapolis, is a popular tourist destination in the Midwest, with tens of millions of visitors each year. The giant shopping complex boasts more than 500 stores, more than 50 dining options, dozens of attractions and two hotels, according to its owners.
Friday’s shooting comes about five months after suspects fired gunshots into a crowded store at the mall. No injuries were reported in the August incident.
A preliminary investigation into Friday’s incident indicated there was an altercation between about five to nine people inside Nordstrom. Store surveillance video showed a male pulling out a gun and shooting the victim, Hodges said.
“We have an incident where if someone decides that they want to pull out a gun and shoot somebody with complete lack of disrespect for human life, I still don’t know what we can do to stop that,” Hodges said.
A motive for the shooting has not yet been determined.
Jovonta Patton, a Billboard gospel singer, was filming an Instagram reel at a Gucci location inside Nordstrom when gunshots went off in the background.
Patton quickly ran to the back room of the store to hide for about 15 minutes, where about six or seven others had also taken cover, he told CNN.
Several New York Giants players were also inside the mall at the time of the shooting, according to NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero.
The team was staying at a hotel nearby ahead of a game against the Minnesota Vikings in Minneapolis on Saturday. Giants spokesperson Pat Hanlon told the Associated Press on Friday that the players who were at the mall during the shooting had made it back to the hotel, and that everyone had been accounted for.
CNN has reached out to the New York Giants for comment.
Team announcer, Bob Papa, was also inside the mall during the incident.
“Scary here @mallofamerica,” he tweeted Friday. “Shooting in mall. On lockdown at #TwinCitiesGrill. Two gunmen at least one victim.” An hour later, Papa said, “Safely out of mall and back at hotel. Prayers to victim.”
