BLOOMINGTON, Minn. (AP) — Police in Minnesota confirm that gunshots were fired at the Mall of America in suburban Minneapolis, but say no victim has been found.
Bloomington police say the scene has been secured. They are still searching for a suspect.
Video posted to social media showed what appeared to be a man shouting 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 U.S. and is a tourist destination and community gathering spot.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.
BLOOMINGTON, Minn. (AP) — Police in Minnesota responded Thursday to a possible shooting at the Mall of America in suburban Minneapolis.
Bloomington police confirmed on Twitter that they were working “an active incident” with numerous officers on the scene. They gave no other details.
Mall of America spokesman Dan Jasper confirmed that the mall was locked down but had no other details. The mall later tweeted that the “incident” was “isolated” to one store without providing additional information.
Video posted to social media showed what appeared to be a man shouting 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 U.S. and is a tourist destination and community gathering spot.
Video posted online showed shoppers fleeing from the amusement park on the giant mall’s ground level, holding their children’s hands and clutching their bags. Still other video showed a pair of police officers, including one with a rifle, moving through the mall, and people walking quickly away from the mall's large interior atrium area.
One woman tweeted that she was shopping for clothes for high school senior pictures with her 17-year-old daughter when the store manager told them to “move as far back as possible.” The woman said she was in a fitting room with her daughter. Another person posted video of dozens of people said to be gathered in the basement as warnings to “please shelter immediately” repeated over mall speakers.
The Mall of America bans guns on its premises, according to its website. The mall does not have metal detectors and shoppers are not searched upon entry. It was the scene of a shooting on New Year’s Eve, when two people were wounded during an apparent altercation.
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Security at the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota, have confirmed the mall is on lockdown as they work with police to gather more information on what was described as an "active incident inside" the mall.
Bloomington Police were on the scene late Thursday afternoon after videos posted to social media showed people at the mall fleeing to safety, appearing to be confused as to why crowds were running.
The Mall of America replied to one Twitter user writing, "Mall of America is currently under lockdown. Please stay where you are until the lockdown is lifted."
Bloomington Police released a statement on Twitter just before 6 p.m ET writing, "We are currently working an active incident inside Mall of America on the northwest side. Numerous officers are on scene. We will update when we have more information."
Videos shared to social media Thursday showed chaos inside of the mall and near the parking decks as patrons fled, with many looking back in disbelief appearing to be confused as to why crowds were running for exits.
Chaos and confusion at @mallofamerica. Making people go outside. #mallofamerica pic.twitter.com/NzMvI7iK6m
— Andy Paras (@AndyParas) August 4, 2022
One Twitter user posted this video as they witnessed patrons of the mall running out of emergency exits as they say they witnessed cars of police enter the mall grounds.
People running out emergency doors from @mallofamerica. Police swarming the mall. #mallofamerica pic.twitter.com/IQqysLfahq
— Jason Ronimous (@jwronimous) August 4, 2022
Mall of America security was initially only able to confirm that an "incident" had occurred and that security was working with Bloomington Police to "gather more information" on the security situation, but the mall was put on lockdown and people were told to exit immediately.
Calls to the Bloomington Police department were not immediately returned.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
