Photo: Tony Webster, CC BY-SA 4.0 / Wikimedia Commons
At least have been reported injured at a South Carolina shopping center following a shooting on the premises Saturday afternoon.
The extent of the injuries is unknown, according to the Columbia Police Department in Richland County. Police evacuated and secured the Columbiana Center mall, where the shooting occurred.
This is a very fluid situation, in which the injured have been transferred, there is a team of agents inside the shopping center conducting investigations, reported the Columbia police .
Police are evaluating the scene. Portions of I-54 near Harbison, South Carolina, are closed.
Columbia Police Chief William H. Holbrook reported that 3 people were arrested. So far it is known that at least one person fired shots inside the shopping center.
“Employees inside the mall who were told to shelter in place for safety, law enforcement officers will come to you as a protected escort. DO NOT leave a store until instructed to do so by the appropriate authorities,” tweeted Columbia police.
The Police are also asking those inside the mall to call law enforcement and inform dispatchers of their location.
A reunification site has been set up near the mall, according to the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department. The site is opening up for “those with loved ones involved in the Columbiana Mall shooting,” the department tweeted.
The reunification site is the Fairfield Inn at 320 Columbian Drive. The authorities ask those who are in the area to be careful, since it will be a “high traffic area”.
Columbiana Center Mall is approximately 10 miles from downtown Columbia.
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