FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) – An altercation between two men left one of them injured in a shooting at Glenbrook Square Mall, Fort Wayne Police said Friday.
FWPD officers and an ambulance could be seen at the scene shortly after noon responding to numerous calls of gunshots.
A police spokesperson said officers found a victim shot in the leg near the fountain by JC Penney. Witnesses said the suspect fled, and there is a possible person of interest.
Police said the altercation took place between two men, leading to one shooting the other. Police said the victim is not cooperating at this time.
Shoppers and workers were evacuating the mall and taking shelter where they could. Police said it is no longer an active shooter situation.
Police are looking at surveillance footage and witnesses are cooperating.
An alert was sent to employees that said, “Please take shelter until cleared by police or mall management. We have a security event in progress.”
“There is an inherent risk of being in any crowded public place,” said Daniel Nerzig, a public information officer with FWPD. “We can’t vet every person who goes into a public place.”
This was an incident involving two people who didn’t know how to resolve their issues and chose to put other people at risk, Nerzig said.
Glenbrook made the decision to close the mall for the remainder of the day.
The incident is unrelated to a shooting on July 8 at the mall. In that instance- which court documents show stemmed from an argument over a woman- the suspect turned himself in and was arrested nearly a week later.
