Delaware State Police have confirmed that three people were shot at Christiana Mall Saturday evening, prompting a huge response from local first responders and law enforcement.
The three people injured were taken to the hospital, according to police.
Police said they have not arrested anyone yet, but said that there were no public safety concerns at the mall as of about 8:50 p.m.
The mall has been closed and police are still advising people to avoid the area.
Police said they have set up a reunification area by the north entrance to the mall near the AT&T store.
Social media reports describe mall gunfire
Dozens of social media posts also report there was a shooting in the mall, including from people who say they were at the mall when it occurred. Some have posted videos of them being directed to hide in store backrooms.
One person was seen being taken away in an ambulance.
Where are police and first responders?
Most first responders were centered on the entrance to the food court, where police seemed to be investigating. Police have taped off a perimeter around the entrances to the Cheesecake Factory and Barnes & Noble.
Police manned the area with long rifles and asked the dozens of onlookers to back up, saying the area hasn’t been declared safe. A police helicopter was also flying above the mall as first responder vehicles with lights flashing sat stationed between Target and Nordstrom.
Witness recounts hearing gunshots inside mall
David P. Neff of Elkton, Maryland, said he was at the mall food court Saturday night with his partner and a friend when he heard gunshots coming from near the Barnes & Noble and Chik-Fil-A.
Neff said that as soon as the gunshots went off, everyone in the mall — Neff included — started running. People were screaming, and Neff said he lost his partner at one point but later reunited with him.
“I was definitely scared,” Neff said.
He said he wondered if those were his final minutes.
“I told my mom and my social worker what was happening and it was heartbreaking because I didn’t know if this was the last time I would speak to them,” Neff said.
Family hid inside Macy’s storage area
Susan Menasion was at the Macy’s Saturday night waiting for her daughter who was in the bathroom when an employee told her she had to go into one of the store’s storage areas. She told the worker she wasn’t going anywhere without her daughter and granddaughters.
The employee got Menasion’s family and all four were ushered into a storage area where there were about 25 people.
“We were scared,” the Newark-area resident said. “It was scary. We didn’t know what was going on.”
Menasion, her grandkids and her daughter were in the storage room for about 40 minutes before they were allowed to leave through back doors.
“It’s scary. It really is,” she said. “You hear it on the news all the time and then when you’re in the middle of it, it’s scary.”
Access to Christiana Mall closed
Traffic was gridlocked around the mall, as well, as police continued to arrive with lights flashing Saturday.
Officials then blocked the ramps to keep everyone who is not a first responder from entering the mall area.
This is a developing story.
