A person is in custody after a shooting inside Perimeter Mall late Friday afternoon that left one person injured.
Police told reporters at the scene its officers responded to a shots fired call at the DeKalb County mall around 4:45 p.m. The shooting was described as an “isolated event” after the suspect and victim “met up, some words were exchanged and shots were fired,” said Dunwoody Police Sgt. Michael Cheek.
Cheek says the victim was also able to return gunfire in the incident, with the victim and suspect – both males – injured.
Police say quick investigative work led officers to Plesantdale Crossing Apartments where the suspect was arrested.
The incident sparked a significant emergency response to Perimeter Mall.
Inside the mall, witnesses described the scene. Mandy says she and her daughter were shopping, but in different locations at the time of the gunfire.
“I was above the second floor of the food court. My daughter was downstairs in the food court area when the shots went off. People just started scurrying into the store I was in, and just ran out the back and was trying to get out of the mall,” Mandy tells WSB Radio.
“There was a mix between running and hiding,” McKenna, Mandy’s daughter, tells WSB Radio. She noticed something strange with one person. “It was very strange that everyone was hiding, and that person was walking.”
Mandy says she tried to reach her daughter as soon as possible by phone. “I text her immediately knowing that calling, and if her phone goes off that would not be a smart choice. So, I text her if you’re ok. Of course, she did not respond because she was busy…she was underneath a table.”
The mall was evacuated after the shooting. Police say the food court area is closed, with other parts of the mall “technically” open.