Shooting at Mall of America on New Year’s Eve

One man was shot in the leg and another was apparently grazed by a bullet after an altercation devolved into a shooting at the Mall of America. Unfortunately, this was not the only New Year's Eve shooting in the Twin Cities Area.

Twitter and Google Maps screenshots

Two people were struck by a single bullet fired at the Mall of America on New Year’s Eve.

The incident was not a “mass shooter” situation, nor an act of terror. Rather, it evolved from a specific dispute between two men, authorities say. The Mall of America is a massive shopping complex located in Bloomington, Minnesota, just south of Minneapolis.

Bloomington police officers in the mall responded to the shooting in less than one minute after hearing a single round fired. They discovered an individual who was apparently hit in the leg, Deputy Chief Kim Clausen explained, just hours after the event.

The second man shot was not badly injured. Clausen says he seems to have suffered only a graze wound.

Footage circulated on social media appears to show the more seriously injured victim receiving first aid in the mall before paramedics wheel him away.

These photos apparently show a man who was shot at the MOA on New Year’s Eve. (Twitter/screenshots)

A witness was recorded describing what he saw just after the gunshot rang out:

Many people who were inside the mall at the time of the event uploaded footage of shoppers taking cover as a notice to “seek shelter immediately” was played over the mall’s public announcement system.

This was not the only instance of New Year’s Eve violence in the Twin Cities area. Minneapolis police say they responded to a shooting that left a 15-year-old dead, a 16-year-old injured and a suspect on the run around 4:30 pm in the area of 2400 Dupont Ave N.

By 12:30 am, police heard so much gunfire in North Minneapolis that it was impossible to respond to it all, per scanner watchdog Crime Watch Minneapolis.

 

Kyle Hooten

Kyle Hooten is Managing Editor of Alpha News. His coverage of Minneapolis has been featured on television shows like Tucker Carlson Tonight and in print media outlets like the Wall Street Journal.