5 arrested in fatal shooting of 19-year-old man in Mall of America, police say

Five people were arrested Saturday in connection with the shooting death of a 19-year-old man Friday night inside a Nordstrom store at the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota, officials said. The shooting left the mall in lockdown for over an hour.

Bloomington Police Chief Booker Hodges said authorities executed a search warrant Saturday morning at a nearby St. Louis Park city address and arrested five men. Three of the suspects he was a 17-year-old boy and two he was an 18-year-old adult, Hodges said. Their names have not been released.

He said he was “pretty sure” that police were “taking custody of those responsible for killing the victim.”

However, detectives are still trying to find the murder weapon, Hodges revealed, adding that they were working to determine if there was a second shooter involved in the incident.

At a press conference, Hodges said officers heard gunshots coming from the first floor of the Nordstrom at around 7:50 p.m. local time on Friday. Did.

Hodges said the victim died at the scene despite life-saving efforts. His name was not immediately provided.

According to Hodges, surveillance video showed the shooting appeared to have been triggered by “some sort of altercation between two groups” of men.

A woman’s jacket, described by Hodges as an “innocent bystander,” was also grazed by a bullet, but she was unharmed.

Hodges said about five to seven people fled the store after the shooting.

mall was placed blockade Customers and employees were asked to “stay in the nearest safe place” after the shots were fired. The lockdown was lifted shortly after 9pm local time.

Both Bloomington and St. Louis Park are part of the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area.

It’s the second time in five months that the Mall of America has been shut down due to shootings. August 4th, fired It was near the checkout of the Nike store, but no one was injured.

The shooting caused chaos and panicked customers and employees fled for safety. Hodges said there was also an altercation between the two groups at the time. Hodges said one of the group walked away, but then returned and one shot him into the store three times.

Two men suspected of involvement in shooting arrested A few days later, it follows a multi-agency manhunt. Three of his other men were also arrested for helping the two escape.

The mall isWeapon detection systemAt its northern entrance in October, according to CBS Minnesota.