A shooting at a mall in Columbia, South Carolina, injured several people.
Authorities said the shooting took place at 2.30pm on Saturday afternoon at the Columbiana Center, a one-story indoor mall.
“We have confirmed that people were injured during the incident – they are receiving medical treatment,” police tweeted. “The extent of the injuries is unknown at this time.”
The state said Colombian Deputy Police Chief Melron Kelly said many people had been shot, but no deaths were reported.
Thirteen people were taken for medical treatment, but it is uncertain how many of these people were injured in the shooting. Some may have been trampled after shots fired.
Witnesses reported loud popping sounds and suggested it may have been an automatic weapon.
Employees go “from store to warehouse and from closet to closet looking for someone with a weapon,” Mr Kelly said.
The search was also part of the process of clearing the mall of all buyers, some of whom may have taken refuge.
Additional tweets from the police read: “Law enforcement teams are strategically making sure that [Columbiana Centre] is “cleared”. No other injuries were reported. “
Mall staff, who were told to take shelter in a safety area, were instructed to wait until law enforcement officers came to them for a protective escort and not to leave until they were told to do so by the relevant authorities.
Those hiding in the mall have been instructed to call 911 and a safe passage will be arranged.
The main entrance to the mall on Harbison Boulevard was closed and parts of I-26 West were also closed due to the incident.
Initial information is that officers responded to the signal for the shots before police confirmed that a shooting had occurred.
Increased police and emergency services have been reported, and many are trying to leave the area. At least one ambulance was spotted leaving the mall’s parking lot shortly after 3 p.m.
The families, who were divided in confusion, were instructed to head to the nearby Fairfield Inn on Columbia Drive to reunite with their loved ones.
The state said armed officers were spotted entering a Dave & Busters branch in the mall around 3:20 p.m.
Local news says the mall is usually very busy at this time of day on the weekend.
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