A GUNMAN opened fire at a packed shopping centre on Black Friday injuring at least three people.
Shoppers were forced to scramble for safety and barricade themselves inside stores at the Westfield in California.
The Westfield Valley Fair shopping centre in Santa Clara turned into “complete chaos” as people fled to safety, shoppers said.
A 16-year-old girl, a man and a woman were injured at the scene.
They have since been rushed to a local hospital with non-life threatening injuries, according to officials.
The shooting began at 5.40pm on Friday, according to KRON4.
Authorities have described the ordeal as an “isolated incident”.
The San Jose Police Department Sergeant Jorge Garibay said: “This was not targeted at unsuspecting shoppers.”
“Something occurred between two individuals that prompted the shooting,” he said.
The San Jose Police Department added that there was no active threat to the public.
Officials believe the shooting occurred following an argument between the suspected gunman and the male victim.
The two female victims were unfortunately caught in the crossfire, KRON4 reported.
The shooter fled the scene.
Police are yet to release a description of the man.
It is not clear if the suspect has been taken into custody.
Fellow shoppers have posted videos of the terrifying moments to social media, as they hid inside stores.
Daniel Chen said he “just started sprinting” when he saw people running.
“There were crowds and swarms of people,” he said.
“I was terrified. We were freaking out. Everyone was just screaming.
“It was complete chaos — it was crazy. I was making sure that the three of us were together and that we weren’t leaving each other behind.”
He said his group made sure to follow the crowd, in order to “not go where the shooter was”.
“We were making sure we were following the crowd and making sure we could find an exit and get out,” he said.
Cops began evacuating the shopping centre an hour after the shooting.
The centre was previously scheduled to close at 10pm.
Shawn Kulasingham, 23, had been shopping with his family when he said they heard a loud pop, before a sea of humans began running in every direction.
“It was a stampede,” he told the LA Times.
“The building was almost shaking.”
Kulasingham grabbed his father and sister and sheltered in the nearest store – an Abercrombie & Fitch.
Amongst other shoppers, they hid behind clothing racks and cabinets.
“The fear was palpable,” Kulasingham said.
“This is a really difficult thing to happen during the holiday season.”
Kulasingham is a former congressional staffer, who was home visiting family for Thanksgiving.
Another shopper caught in the cross fire was ushered into a Bloomingdales store with 20 other people.
Bilal Zuberi and his wife said they “tried not to panic, because there were children sheltering with them”.
“There was general panic and an overhead announcement telling [stores] the doors were locked and they should remain in place,” he said.
“Officers are evacuating and clearing the mall to confirm there is no ongoing threat to public safety,” according to the police department.
Matt Mahan, the Mayor of San Jose, made a statement on Friday night.
“This is not the news I wanted to share with you this holiday weekend,” he wrote on social media platform X.
Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/15566819/valley-fair-shooting-mall-san-jose-westfield-active/
