Several shootings unfolded in two malls and a store, stunning Black Friday shoppers only a few days after the deadly mass shooting at a Walmart in Chesapeake, Virginia.
A female was shot in San Antonio, Texas, at Ingram Park Mall during an inside confrontation that spilled into the parking lot, according to city police, local news station KENS 5 reported.
Police said the argument escalated outside where the shooting occurred, leaving the victim with a non life-threatening arm injury, KSAT and News 4 San Antonio reported. The shooter fled the scene and no arrests have been made yet.
San Antonio police confirmed on Twitter Friday night that there is no threat to the public, but urged people to avoid the area as they begin investigating the shooting. Officers also said it is not an active-shooter situation, according to local media outlets.
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In a separate incident in Greenville, North Carolina, two men were shot inside Greenville Mall on Friday, the Greenville, N.C. Police Department said in a statement.
Officers were sent to the scene around 6:30 p.m. to find the two men shot inside the mall in the vicinity of the American Eagle store. A dispute led to the two men getting shot, police’s preliminary findings revealed.
“The incident does not appear to be a random act. Both victims were transported to ECU Health for their injuries,” police added in the statement. “No other injuries have been reported and there is no ongoing threat. The mall has been evacuated as the investigation continues.”
No details were disclosed regarding the nature of the dispute or whether any arrests have been made.
Earlier on Friday, also in North Carolina, a man was shot in the hip inside a Walmart Supercenter on 5070 Fayetteville Road in Lumberton, police said in a statement.
“On Arrival as the store was still being evacuated, officers entered the building attempting to locate the shooter and any victims. After searching the building, officers did not locate the shooter or any victims,” Lumberton police said.
One shopper at the store said that the incident “started as a big commotion. Then, ‘bang bang,'” WPDE reported. A woman who was present during the shooting said “I was scared for my life, I ran as fast as I could to get out.”
Police said the shooter opened fire after an argument inside the Walmart, adding that the gunman knew the victim, who was later transferred to a hospital to treat the non-life-threatening wound.
No arrests have been made yet, as police are still searching for the assailant, whose name has been withheld for now. Police said they were able to identify the suspect by watching footage from surveillance cameras.
The footage showed that the gunman fled the scene as shoppers were being evacuated from the store.
“As of right now, the Lumberton Police Department is not aware of any other customers or employees suffering injuries as a result of this incident,” police said. The store is expected to reopen Saturday morning, according to WPDE.
“We’re working closely with local law enforcement, and they will need to field any questions you might have,” Walmart Senior Manager Ashley Nolan said in an email to WRAL News.
The Black Friday shootings come just days after the mass gunfire on Tuesday in Chesapeake, where a Walmart store manager killed six people during a meeting in the break room.
The shooter, identified as 31-year-old Andre Bing, was found dead when officers arrived at the scene minutes later. Police believe he died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Bing was armed with a handgun and several magazines of ammunition, according to police.
Newsweek has reached out to police in San Antonio, Lumberton and Greenville for comment.
