TWO people are dead and another injured after shots rang out at a busy shopping mall ahead of the Fourth of July holiday.
Police in Michigan rushed to Fairlane Town Center in Dearborn, a suburb of Detroit, at around 2pm on Friday.
Dearborn Police said its officers were at the scene investigating the shooting, according to a post on the department’s Facebook page.
“This is an active and ongoing investigation. We are asking residents and visitors to avoid the area while officers secure the scene and investigators conduct their work,” Dearborn Police said.
When police arrived, they encountered three males suffering from gunshot wounds, Dearborn PD chief Issa Shahin said.
Shahin said two of the victims died from their injuries.
Great American State Fair abruptly shuts down & guests ordered to leave
“The loss of life is a tragedy. My condolences go out to the families of those involved in this incident,” the police chief said.
Shahin said one of the victims died at a local hospital, while the second died on the scene.
A third person, described as an innocent bystander, was struck by gunfire, Fox affiliate WJBK reported. Their condition remains unknown.
The identities of the victims have not been determined.
The police chief said another person was injured after being struck by a vehicle in the parking lot as they ran from the hail of bullets.
Shahin described the suspects as “no older” than his children.
“It appears this was not a random act of violence,” Shahin added.
“It was between two parties that knew each other here at the mall and a fight began and escalated into gunfire.
“These kinds of random acts of violence are completely unacceptable. For it to happen anywhere is completely unacceptable.
“The idea that it would happen in a public space or a mall where people are shopping is unconscionable.”
The shopping mall and a nearby hospital were placed on lockdown as police investigate the shooting.
Video posted on social media showed shoppers in the mall ducking and running for the exits as sounds of three possible gunshots erupted.
“Oh my God, oh my God,” a woman inside the mall is heard saying as she runs towards the exit.
“Go, go, go, they shooting, they shooting. Oh my God.”
The video ends with the woman sprinting across the mall’s parking lot and entering a vehicle.
Fairlane Town Center is one of the largest shopping malls in the Detroit metropolitan area.
The mall is about 10 miles west of downtown Detroit.
Shahin said Fairlane Town Center is “generally a safe mall,” adding that Dearborn is the second safest city in Michigan.
The chief said authorities took several people in for questioning. However, it’s unclear if any of them will be criminally charged.
The shooting unfolded as Americans across the country enjoy the start of the Fourth of July weekend.
A record-breaking 72.2million Americans are expected to travel for the holiday, according to AAA.
Over 60million of those travelers are expected to hit the road to their destination, while nearly 6million will travel by air.