Updated at 11:35 a.m. Saturday
Syracuse police have arrested a 21-year old in connection with a shooting Friday at Destiny USA in Syracuse, which left one man wounded and caused a mass panic among shoppers on Black Friday.
Police say a 20-year old man was shot twice in the leg Friday near the food court of the mall after a fight with 21-year old Kyree Truax of Syracuse. Police say Truax pulled out a handgun and fired at the victim at least twice. He then ran away from the scene. Police said witness descriptions and surveillance video led them to Truax, who was arrested early Saturday morning. Truax was also involved in a car accident in the city of Syracuse late Friday fleeing the scene of the shooting.
The shooting caused a mass panic on the busiest shopping days of the year. After the shooting, most stores in the mall went into lockdown, closing their gates and rushing employees to back rooms. Shoppers huddled inside stores while hundreds of others ran for the exits.
Police announced on social media Friday there's was a shooting, and when the scene was secure, the mall closed for the night. It reopened at 10 a.m. Saturday.
Mall officials said employees train for shooting scenarios every two months, and said they were happy with how employees and officials reacted to the shooting.
This is the latest violent incident at the mall in recent years. On Black Friday 2018, two men were stabbed after a fight at the mall.
Police said the mall is safe, but there will be additional officers posted through the holiday season. Police Chief Kenton Buckner said shoppers shouldn't let "the actions of two or three knuckleheads" ruin the holiday season.
"Please continue to enjoy the holiday season," he said.
Earlier story
SYRACUSE, N.Y. (AP) — Police in Syracuse are looking for a gunman who shot a man in the leg Friday inside a shopping mall.
The shooting happened about 7 p.m. and caused a lockdown at the Destiny USA mall. Police said the shooting appeared to stem from an assault or altercation and was not a random act. Investigators said the man’s injuries were not considered to be life threatening.
Several Black Friday shoppers posted to social media about hiding inside stores after the gunfire rang out.
Police Chief Kenton Buckner told reporters Friday night that several officers were already at the mall when the shooting occurred and responded within seconds of the shooting.
As of early Saturday, the gunman was still on the loose, but police are holding an 11 a.m. news conference to release "significant information."
