1 Killed, 3 Injured In Shooting In US Mall On Christmas Eve

One person was killed and three others were injured after a shooting in a mall in US' Colorado on Sunday (local time) as people wrapped up their Christmas shopping, according to police, CNN reported.

The shots were fired after a fight broke out between two groups, according to the Colorado Springs Police Department. Officers responded to the spot after about 4:30 pm (local time).

One man was found dead in the Citadel Mall and two other men "suffering from at least one gunshot wound each" were taken to hospitals in serious condition, police said in a statement on X. The police said a woman was taken to the hospital with minor injuries, CNN reported. According to police, several people have been detained.

In a post on X, the Colorado Springs Police Department stated, "At 4:34 pm on Sunday, December 24, 2023, CSPD received a call for service for shots fired at the Citadel Mall. Officers responded and determined that a fight had broken out between two groups of people. One adult male was found dead in the mall from a gunshot wound."

"Two adult males were transported in serious condition to local hospitals, suffering from at least one gunshot wound each. One female was transported to a local hospital with minor injuries. CSPD has multiple people detained and is working to determine their involvement," it added.

Colorado Springs Police Department said the mall has been cleared and closed. It further said there is no known threat to the community at this time.

Earlier on Saturday, a man was killed and a woman injured in a shooting inside a mall at Ocala in Florida, CNN reported citing Ocala Police Chief Mike Balken.

Mike Balken said the police received 911 calls about multiple shots fired inside the Paddock Mall, with the caller reporting an "active shooter scenario", CNN reported, adding that a heavy police team was rushed to the scene to respond to the situation.

"Officers immediately made entry into the mall and eventually discovered this was not an active shooter situation," the police chief said. The police, instead, characterised the shooting incident as a targeted act of violence, Mike Balken added, according to CNN.

The police chief confirmed further that a man was found dead inside the mall from gunshot wounds. He added that a woman suffered a gunshot wound to her leg and was taken to hospital for treatment.

One of the people present at the mall during the shooting said they heard one shot, and, after a pause, three other shots rang out.

"We heard one shot then a pause then 3 other shots rang out and chaos erupted," Syriah Williams, 18, who was shopping with her mother, said.

Syriah Williams added that the mall employees opened the back storage area and instructed everyone to run, CNN reported, adding that she made her way through the storage area and down a hallway that led to a back exit.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)