UPDATED: April 9, 2 p.m.
CHRISTIANA, Del. (KYW Newsradio) — Three people are in stable condition after being shot in the food court at the Christiana Mall in New Castle County.
Delaware State Police were dispatched to Christiana Mall just before 7 p.m. Saturday. Senior Cpl. Jason Hatchell says, when officials arrived they found three victims shot inside the food court. They were transported to local hospitals, and the mall was quickly evacuated.
Five others were injured during the incident, but none of them was shot.
Police say there are no further public safety concerns at the mall or the surrounding area. However, according to another tweet from police, there is no suspect in custody at this time.
It has not been confirmed how many suspects were involved. However, police say, the shooting stemmed from some type of altercation between the suspects and the victims.
“What we want to assure the public is this wasn't just a random shooting. They didn't come to the mall and pick a random victim and open fire. This was an altercation between suspects and the victims, one who produced a gun and opened fire,” Hatchell said.
LISTEN: Delaware State Police update on the shooting
Witnesses described what they saw and felt.
“My daughter's with me. I mean, first thing in my mind is ‘Thank God they're safe and they're with me.’ The most important thing was to keep them safe and stay safe and quiet until the shooter was found,” said Paige Menasion, a pregnant mother who was in the mall with her girls when the events unfolded.
“They put us all in a storage room and said that there was a shooter in the building,” said Susan Menasion, “that we were locked down until they found the shooter, that the SWAT team and all them were in there looking for him. And we were in there maybe about 40, 45 minutes. We were scared. It was scary. We didn't know what was going on.”
Chloe Ward was visiting from Maryland and was in the food court when the gunfire erupted.
“You hear about it on the news all the time, and it's hard to believe that it's something that could happen so close to you, especially when you feel like you're in sort of a safe area — and then it happens and it's crazy,” she said.
The mall remains closed while police investigate.
“We appreciate everyone’s patience as we continue to gather more details on this shooting,” police said in a tweet.
Officials are asking anyone with information to contact Delaware State Police.
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