One person has been killed and multiple injured in a shooting at a Florida mall on Saturday.
Local police were notified of an active shooter and multiple shots were fired at around 3:40 p.m. local time. Officers responded by entering Paddock Mall in Ocala, Florida, to confront the shooter, the Ocala Police Department said in a post on Facebook.
However, police discovered that there was no active shooter, but a shooting did occur in the mall. The shooter had fled, leaving one adult male deceased in a common area of the Ocala Mall, located about 80 miles northwest of Orlando.
Ocala Police Chief Mike Balken told reporters Saturday evening that a male victim had died from multiple gunshot wounds. A woman was also found with a gunshot wound in the leg. She was transported to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Several other mall patrons were also injured in the shooting, with one person having chest pain and another reporting a broken arm, police said.
The police chief added that the suspect had fled the scene but left behind the firearm.
“There is no longer an active shooting situation,” police wrote on Facebook. “There are multiple people injured. The suspect is believed to have fled. The mall is being evacuated at this time. Please avoid the area as police investigate.”
The shooting is being investigated and the shooter is still at large, police added.
“We also believe this shooting may have been targeted.”
As of 8 p.m., the mall carpark was reopened, but the mall remains closed as police continue their investigation.
The police are asking anyone who may have recorded any part of the shooting at the mall to share their footage with the detectives.
