GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Three people including at least one young child were shot and wounded Wednesday at an outlet mall in the Phoenix suburb of Glendale, police said. One of the victims had life-threatening injuries.
The shooting was “an altercation between two groups of people" that turned into a fight and then a shooting, said Glendale police Officer Tiffany Ngalula. She did not say if anyone was arrested but said there was no continuing threat to the public.
“We’re still sorting out how many victims, how many potential shooters there are, but we do not believe that there is anyone else outstanding,” Ngalula said.
Ngalula said she was unsure if the young child was the critically injured victim.
Hundreds of people who fled the gunfire as well as nervous friends and relatives who rushed to the scene were lined up in parking lots near the mall hours after the shooting.
The mall and surrounding businesses remained on lockdown as police searched and cleared stores where people took cover. Ngalula said officers still had hundreds of people to interview, a task that would likely last long into the night.
Officers from around the region responded after reports of gunfire around 2:40 p.m. in an outdoor courtyard at the Tanger Outlets, a mall in a bustling entertainment district west of Phoenix. The mall is across a parking lot from the Westgate Entertainment District and a few streets away from the Arizona Cardinals’ football stadium and Arizona Coyotes’ hockey arena.
Gov. Doug Ducey said he was monitoring the situation.
“Once again Arizona law enforcement officers demonstrated courage in keeping our community safe," Ducey wrote on Twitter. "Thank you to all the men and women in blue for your bravery and service.”
The shooting comes nearly two years after a gunman injured three in a rampage at Westgate.
The 20-year-old suspect in that shooting, Armando Hernandez, reportedly walked through the entertainment district, returned to his car to make a social media video and loaded three rifle magazines. Glendale police said the gunman filmed the attack while holding a cellphone with his left hand and blasting away with the rifle in his right hand.
Hernandez has pleaded not guilty. His case is scheduled for trial in June.
The Associated Press
