DANBURY, Conn. (WCBS 880) — A 15-year-old girl is in stable condition after being shot in the chest inside a Danbury mall Wednesday night, police said Thursday.
Danbury Police Chief Patrick Ridenhour said authorities were dispatched to Danbury Fair Mall, near Macy's, around 7 p.m.
Officers found the victim, who was conscious and alert, inside with a single gunshot wound to her upper chest, he said. She was transported to Danbury Hospital and later Connecticut Children's Hospital for treatment.
Authorities are withholding her name as the investigation remains ongoing. Reports originally stated the victim was 16 years old.
Ridenhour said the suspect is a male who may have been in his early teens.
The shooting prompted a lockdown as Danbury Police and other agencies searched the building and reviewed surveillance footage, he said. It was later determined the suspect fled the building after the incident.
The chief said authorities saw at least eight people, including the victim, involved in "some type of altercation" near the Macy's entrance.
Ridenhour said a suspect then shot the 15-year-old. However, it is not clear yet whether she was the intended victim.
"It appears that there was another target, and we do have some information that a male was running from the scene carrying a hammer," he added. "We believe he may have been the target, but she got in the way."
Ridenhour said authorities are "confident" they will arrest the suspect, but are encouraging him to turn himself in. He also stressed that the incident was an isolated one.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the lead investigator, Detective Carroccio at P.Carroccio@Danbury-CT.gov, the Detective Bureau at 203-797-4662, or the Confidential TIPS line at 203-790-8477.
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