CNN
—
Five people were arrested Saturday in connection with the fatal shooting of a 19-year-old boy the night before at the Minnesota Mall of America, the largest shopping center in the United States, police said.
The suspects — three 17-year-old males and two 18-year-old males — were arrested after police executed a search warrant Saturday, Bloomington Police Chief Booker Hodges told reporters.
Investigators believe the shooter is one of the adults arrested, Hodges said. They are trying to determine if another shooter was involved. The suspects were expected to be charged with second-degree murder, according to Hodges.
“We don’t know why it happened,” Hodges said. “And we don’t know why, because people just don’t cooperate and people don’t want to talk.”
Hodges said earlier that officers heard gunshots on the first floor of Nordstrom just before 8 p.m. local time Friday and found a man shot multiple times in the store. ,
On Saturday, Hodges said an officer working at the Watches of Switzerland store saw people coming out of Nordstrom, ran into the store and found the victim.
Life saving measures were performed on the victim but were unsuccessful. A bystander grazed by a bullet is expected to survive, Hodges said.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Waltz said his office was working with local officials to provide support and resources, tweeting “the violence at MOA last night is completely unacceptable.”
The 30-year-old mall, about 10 miles south of downtown Minneapolis, is a popular Midwestern tourist destination, with tens of millions of visitors each year. The huge shopping complex boasts more than 500 stores, over 50 dining options, dozens of attractions and two hotels, according to its owners.
Friday’s shooting comes about five months after suspects fired shots into a crowded mall store. No injuries were reported in the August incident.
Hodges said the fatal shooting was the first firearm-related homicide at the mall. There was a fatal stabbing involving a home in the mall in 1999, he said.
A preliminary investigation into Friday’s incident indicated there was an altercation between about five to nine people inside Nordstrom. Surveillance video at the store showed a man pull out a gun and shoot the victim, Hodges said.
“We have a case where if somebody decides they want to pull out a gun and shoot somebody with a complete lack of respect for human life, I still don’t know what we can do to stop that,” Hodges said.
motive for shooting not yet determined.
Billboard gospel singer Jovonta Patton filmed an Instagram video at a Gucci location inside a Nordstrom as gunshots rang out in the background.
Patton quickly ran into the back room of the store to hide for about 15 minutes, where about six or seven others also took cover, he told CNN.
Several New York Giants players were also at the mall at the time of the shooting, according to NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero.
The team was staying at a nearby hotel for a game against the Minnesota Vikings in Minneapolis on Saturday. Giants spokesman Pat Hanlon told The Associated Press on Friday that the players who were at the mall during the shooting have returned to the hotel, and all have been taken care of.
CNN has reached out to the New York Giants for comment.
Team announcer Bob Papa was also inside the mall during the incident.
“Scary in here @mallofamerica,” he tweeted on Friday. “Mall shooting. Lockdown at #TwinCitiesGrill. Two gunmen at least one victim.” An hour later, Dad said, “Safely leaving the mall and back to the hotel. Prayers for the victim.”
