Police in the capital of the US state of South Carolina, Columbia, arrested a 22-year-old male in connection with a shooting at a busy shopping mall on Saturday.
Nine people were shot and five others suffered injuries while attempting to flee the mall for safety, police said. No fatalities have been reported.
Eight individuals required hospitalization, with two in critical but stable condition. The victims ranged in age from 15 to 73.
“Today’s isolated, senseless act of violence is extremely upsetting and our thoughts are with everyone impacted,” the shopping mall, Columbiana Center, said in a statement.
“We are grateful for the quick response and continued support of our security team and our partners in law enforcement,” it added.
Police: ‘We don’t believe this is random’
Police had initially detained three people in connection with the incident.
Columbia police chief William Holbrook told reporters, “We don’t believe this was random. We believe they knew each other and something led to the gunfire.”
Holbrook said the violence was the result of “some kind of conflict” among the armed individuals.
Initially, the Columbia Police Department said in a tweet, “We have confirmed that people have been injured during the incident — they are receiving medical attention. The extent of injuries unknown at this time.”
“Officers have been evacuating the [Columbiana Center] mall and getting people to safety,” it added.
“Everybody was trying to get outside. When I was coming out, you could see baby strollers turned over, people’s phones and left keys. It was kind of a hectic situation,” Daniel Johnson, who was present at the scene with his wife and daughter, told AP.
