US: Teen killed in shooting after group clash at Mall of America in Minnesota, cops hunt for suspects

A 19-year-old malewas killed in a shooting at the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota on Friday night, police said. The shooting happened around 8 pm, two days before Christmas, amid a busy shopping day, said police.Cops have described the victim as a 19-year-old African American male. Reports say that the bullet hit him directly, and he died at the scene of the shooting.

The altercation, which took place between two groups of between five and nine people, was recorded by the security cameras in the mall. During the tussle, a male suddenly pulled out a gun and fired multiple shots at the victim.
Officials of the Bloomington Police Department confirmed that CCTV footageshows the shooting spiralled from a quarrel between two groups of men. During a press conference two hours after the shooting, Booker Hodges, Bloomington Police Chief, asked the suspects responsible for the shooting to turn themselves in.

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Reports say that one bullet also grazed a woman's shirt. However, not many details are available about her. The police responded with a heavy presence after the initial reports of the shooting. They also put the mall under lockdown for further investigation.

all of America's official Twitter account tweeted, "Mall of America is now lifting lockdown. Guests should now exit the property. Mall of America remains closed for the evening." Officials mentioned that the Nordstrom store would remain closed on Saturday, but the public could access other stores and places on the premises.

EMS personnel and police officials from the Bloomington Department remained on the scene for several hours. They have advised people to stay away from the area.

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At the time of the shooting, 16 police personnel were at the scene, and there was an officer in the adjacent store to Nordstrom, reports said.

Earlier in August 2022, another shooting had occurred at the Mall of America. Furthermore, cops responded to another open fire at the same mall in December 2021.

In both shootings, the suspects were young adults between 18 and 23 years, reports said.

(With inputs from agencies)

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