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A gunman shot and killed a man Monday in the crowded food court at Philadelphia Mills Mall.
The shooting took place inside the food court at the mall’s orange entrance at 1455 Franklin Mills Circle at around 5 p.m. Police told NBC10 that a brawl took place, then at least one no one took out a gun and opened fire. People inside the mall told NBC10 that they heard what sounded like 20 shots.
“The bullets were coming our way,” Jamie Yeimnieletona, a witness, told NBC10.
21-year-old man was repeatedly shot in the chest and pronounced dead at 5:18 p.m.
Yeimnieletona, who is pregnant, said she and her family were eating in the food court when she heard the gunshots.
“I heard like a balloon at first, but then they would come back back to back, so we think he was shooting so we started running and I didn’t see my mom,” she says. “It was crazy.”
The mall was locked down as SWAT and K9 teams searched for the suspect, but no arrests were made and no weapons were found. Several people were taken into custody for questioning.
“Some of these people are known to us, but at the moment we can’t say much more,” said the Philadelphia Police Sgt. Eric Gripp told NBC10.
After about an hour of lockdown, most of the people inside were able to leave.
The shooting was just the latest in a wave of gun violence that rocked Philadelphia. Seven people were shot dead on Friday when a gunman opened fire on a social club in the city’s Fishtown neighborhood. On the same day, a gunman killed an 11-year-old boy who was cycling in the Oxford Circle area.
Philadelphia Police crime statistics showed at least 777 shootings as of the week ending March 21. There were also 117 homicides as of March 28, up 29% from the same time last year, which was ultimately one of the deadliest years in decades for Philadelphia.
There are additional resources for individuals or communities who have experienced gun violence in Philadelphia. More information can be found here.
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