Someone opened fire this morning at the Mall of America in the US suburbs of Minneapolis, sending shoppers running for cover, but police said no victims had yet been found.
Bloomington police also said they were still looking for a suspect after securing the scene.
Video posted on social media showed what appeared to be a man screaming as he walked near the complex’s Nike store, with at least three apparent gunshots.
The mall, which opened in 1992, is the largest in the United States and is a tourist destination and community gathering place.
Video posted online showed shoppers fleeing the amusement park on the ground floor of the giant mall, holding their children’s hands and grabbing their bags. Another video showed a couple of police officers, including one with a rifle, moving through the mall and people quickly moving away from the mall’s large indoor atrium area.
Trent Turner, a salesman at a DSW shoe store one level below the Nike store, said he was near the back when he heard gunshots. “Then I saw everyone walking towards the back,” he said.
One woman tweeted that she was shopping for clothes for prom pictures with her 17-year-old daughter when the store manager told them to “get as far back as possible.” The woman said she was in a dressing room with her daughter. Another person posted a video of dozens of people said to be gathered in the basement as warnings to “please shelter immediately” were repeated over the mall’s loudspeakers.
The Mall of America prohibits guns on its premises, according to its website. The mall does not have metal detectors and shoppers are not frisked at the entrance. It was the scene of a shooting on New Year’s Eve, when two people were injured during an apparent altercation.
