A man was fatally shot in a crowded Philadelphia mall food court Monday evening, police said.
Gunfire erupted just after 5 p.m. in the Philadelphia Mills mall. The 21-year-old victim was shot multiple times in the chest and pronounced dead on the scene, according to Philadelphia police. His name has not been released.
No other injuries were reported in the shooting, which prompted authorities to lock down the mall while SWAT and K9 teams searched for a suspect. Several people were taken into custody for questioning, but no arrests were made, police said Monday night.
“Some of these individuals are known to us but at this time there’s not much more we can say,” Philadelphia Police Sgt. Eric Gripp told NBC Philadelphia.
Police told the outlet that the shooting followed a fight.
People who were in the mall said they heard about 20 gunshots, NBC Philadelphia reported.
Monday’s shooting was one in a spate of recent shootings in Philadelphia. The week ending March 21 saw 777 shootings, according to the news station. Homicides are also up 29 percent from the same time last year, which was a particularly deadly year for the city.
The Philadelphia City Council was scheduled to hold special hearing Tuesday to examine the murder rate and increased gun violence.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
