One juvenile was shot and injured inside the Maplewood Mall on Sunday afternoon.
There was a fight between juveniles, and one shot another in the hip, said Sgt. Tony Gabriel with the Maplewood Police Department. The shooting happened near the mall’s door five, close to the JCPenney department store, he said. Two suspects are in custody.
The mall closed for the rest of the day Sunday, but management planned to reopen it Monday.
“This was an isolated incident involving two individuals under the age of 22,” mall management said in a statement Sunday night. “It was addressed immediately, and the suspect was swiftly apprehended and arrested thanks to the strong, ongoing partnership between Maplewood Mall and the Maplewood Police Department.”
Will Swift, owner of the Enchanted Fantasy Film Museum located on the first floor near JCPenney, said he heard a shout and saw two groups of teenage boys running down a nearby hallway, past his shop around 1:45 p.m.
One of the boys either fell or was pushed to the ground and others started kicking him, Swift said. Soon there were three pockets of teenagers fighting, he said.
Swift retreated into his museum, ushered in about 30 other people and shut the gate. A gunshot went off, and he started to record on his phone, he said.
Then he saw who he assumed to be the gunshot victim, his body limp, getting dragged from the area, he said.
