JCPenney Shooting Sees Multiple People Gunned Down Inside Mall
At least six people were injured after a gunman opened fire in a JCPenny store at a Pennsylvania mall, according to police.
The Lancaster City Bureau of Police (LCBP) said the shooting happened at 3:11 p.m. on Sunday after several men were seen having an argument inside the JCPenney's wing of the Park City Center mall.
In a statement shared on Sunday night, police said: "One of the subjects was armed with a handgun during the incident, multiple gunshots were fired. Four people (three males and one female) were treated for gunshot injuries. All were considered non-life-threatening injuries. Two other females suffered minor injuries while trying to flee the area.
"Investigators are processing the scene for evidence and gathering video footage from surveillance cameras as well as personal video recorded by persons who were at the mall."
Investigators are continuing to question employees and other witnesses who were present at the time of the shooting.
A spokesperson for the LCBP stressed that the investigation was in its early stages and that police were working to learn "what led to the original altercation and subsequent shooting."
Footage shared on Facebook showed numerous ambulances and police arrive outside the mall shortly after the shooting happened.
A spokesperson for the Park City Center mall told ABC6 Action News: "We are saddened and angered by the unfortunate, isolated incident that happened in our shopping center today.
"This is a developing investigation and we need to direct you to our partners at Lancaster PD and PA State Police. We are grateful for their swift action to contain the situation. Our highest priority right now is the well-being of our guests and tenants."
Hana Ali, owner of Tabarek International Food, told ABC6 Action News that she heard the gunshots and that one of the bullets hit her store.
She added: "It was really scary, and then we went to the back, we were hiding. He was holding a gun and put it in between his legs, and three of them, I don't know if they are friends or whatever, they were fighting him trying to get him not to shoot.
"And then he was so powerful they couldn't get him, so they walked away from him. He took the gun and shot one of them."
Anyone with information is asked to call 717 735-3301. Newsweek has contacted the LCBP for comment.
According to the Gun Violence Archive, a database that collects information about gun crime across the U.S., there have been 29 mass shootings in Pennsylvania so far this year where at least four people have been injured.
