Two shopping center shootings, one in Phoenix and one in North Charleston, South Carolina, left at least one person dead and four injured on Valentine’s Day, officials said.
In Phoenix, police responded to reports of a shootout around 12:40 am at a retail kiosk inside Desert Sky Mall, said police spokesman Sgt. Andy Williams, and found two men with gunshot wounds.
A preliminary investigation indicated that there was a discussion between a customer and a kiosk employee before the shooting, Williams said. Both men armed themselves and exchanged fire, he said.
The two men were taken to a hospital with fatal injuries, Williams said, and a young man, possibly a teenager, died later. The police were still unsure of their role in the shooting.
The suspects fled the scene before the police arrived, he said.
Jairo Dinar told the USA TODAY Network’s Arizona Republic that he was shopping with his parents at the time of the shooting.
“We heard some shots … I hear glass shatter and everyone is running, pushing each other to make a scene of it, but I’m not sure what was going on. My first fear was just getting out of there. we can, “said Dinar.
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Geno Montana said he heard an argument in an area where jewelry was being sold before the shooting.
“It was an altercation. I was really trying to buy some gifts and concentrate on that so I could get out of here. And when I heard the first shot, I knew what time it was,” said Montana. “I was like, ‘I have to get out of here.'”
An investigation into the shooting is underway.
In South Carolina, authorities are looking for a sniper accused of wounding three people inside Northwoods Mall.
The North Charleston Police Department responded shortly before 1:30 pm to reports of a shooting in a common area, said Lt. Matt Hughes. After evacuating the mall, they found three victims with gunshot wounds.
Two of the victims had minor, non-life-threatening injuries, while a third was in serious condition, Hughes said.
Investigators said they were working to identify and locate a person of interest captured in a shopping mall security video.
Contributing: The Associated Press
This article was originally published in Arizona Republic: shootings in Phoenix, North Charleston malls interrupt Valentine’s Day