Durham mall shooting: 1 man in critical condition; 1 person in custody

DURHAM, N.C. — A shooting on Black Friday at Durham’s Southpoint mall left a 10-year-old and two other people injured, police Chief Patrice Andrews said Friday.

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Off-duty police officers working in The Streets at Southpoint called for assistance when they heard gunshots just after 3:20 p.m., Andrews said at a news conference. Responding officers found three people injured with gunshot wounds, she said.

“The shooting … occurred between two groups that knew each other,” the chief said. “Those individuals, following the shooting, the majority of them fled, however, we have one person that is being detained and we do have several witnesses.”

Update 2:17 p.m. EST Nov. 27: One of the shooting victims, an adult male, remains in critical condition as of Saturday afternoon, according to Durham police said in a news release. Two others who were shot, another adult male and a 10-year-old, sustained injuries that were not life-threatening, WTVD reported.

Police said Friday they have one person in custody, but no charges have been filed as of Saturday, The News & Observer of Raleigh reported.

“The shootings in this city have got to stop,” Durham Police Chief Patrice Andrews said at a news conference. “We have worked with all of our federal partners to identify these individuals that are bent on coming to our community and wreaking havoc. We will be sending them to federal prison.”

Original report: The three people injured were struck by a ricochet from one of the rounds, Andrews said. They were taken to the hospital with injuries that did not appear to be life-threatening. It was not immediately clear whether they were involved in the shooting.

Three other people also were injured while evacuating the mall, according to the chief.

Andrews said investigators do not believe the shooting was random, although she did not immediately elaborate on the circumstances leading up to the gunfire.

“This group of people … they actually did know each other,” she said. “This is not a situation where someone came into the mall and indiscriminately just began firing.”

Authorities continue to investigate.

“There are several people that we want to be able to locate and speak with,” Andrews said. “We will be making several arrests, I’m certain, during the course of this investigation.”

In a post on Twitter, police asked people to stay away from the area and added, “There is no further threat at the mall.”

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