As Twitchy reported, Crabtree Valley Mall in Raleigh, N.C., was placed on lockdown Saturday afternoon after police responded to a report of a shot or shots fired inside the mall.
#BreakingNews: Multiple local, state and federal agencies are on scene at Crabtree Mall https://t.co/9Wj17ENOnr pic.twitter.com/HA85ElmfvC
— ABC11 EyewitnessNews (@ABC11_WTVD) August 13, 2016
ABC 11 in Raleigh reports that multiple eyewitnesses said there was a shooting in the mall’s food court. One person told the AP that he saw a man pull a gun during a fight in the mall’s food court and that he heard as many as four shots fired.
The latest at Crabtree Valley Mall: Store owner said 2 men argued near food court before shots fired.https://t.co/2muASkK5Qe
— Adam Bell (@abell) August 13, 2016
However, police aren’t yet certain that there was a shooting at all. No one is in custody, and no gunshot injuries were reported, although eight people suffered minor injuries in the rush to evacuate the mall.
Police aren’t saying for certain that there was no shooting, but now that the building has been cleared and investigators have been able to perform an initial sweep, it doesn’t look like they’ve turned up evidence that shots were fired.
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#BreakingNews: Raleigh police chief on mall: We have not determined if there was a shooter https://t.co/9Wj17ENOnr pic.twitter.com/cmSMfKRBmY
— ABC11 EyewitnessNews (@ABC11_WTVD) August 13, 2016
Raleigh police update: Mall cleared, no certainty that shots were even fired https://t.co/jcmYZx34U3 via @WRAL #Crabtree
— PoliteSouthernHelle (@Angelinoo) August 13, 2016
https://twitter.com/WilfredSpeed1/status/764614965600804865
RPD: investigators have not determined that there was a shooter at Crabtree Valley Mall. No shell casings found #WRAL
— Leyla Santiago (@leylasantiago) August 13, 2016
@WRAL Of course, some guns don't leave shell casings.
— Matt (@MattNowak1) August 13, 2016
https://twitter.com/tangopapa5400/status/764586653482643460
An Instagram video that reportedly captured the sound of gunfire has been making the rounds on social media. We have our own thoughts, but listen for yourself. Gunfire?
https://www.instagram.com/p/BJD71hohyFo
Again, police are still investigating. However, there have been incidents, such as one at the Arden Fair Mall in Sacramento, Calif., in 2012 and another at the International Mall in Tampa, Fla., in 2014, where a shopping center was evacuated only for police to determine that no shots were fired. In one case, police believe a sign was knocked over during a fight and many mistook the sound for a gun.
* * *
Update:
According to a tweet from ABC News, police have confirmed that there were no gunshots fired. However, the linked article reads, “Police said hours later they were investigating but hadn’t confirmed whether any shots had been fired.”
NEW: Police confirm no shots fired at Raleigh mall; eight hospitalized following panic over reports of gunfire: https://t.co/KiaQID7Fry
— ABC News (@ABC) August 13, 2016
Twitchy will update this post with any developments.
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