UPDATE: Police respond to shooting at Columbia Mall
UPDATE – 11/24 – 8:10 a.m.: Columbia police released new details of events leading up to Thursday night’s shooting.
Police said two men were sitting inside a car when one of them discharged the gun while trying to holster the weapon. The two men reportedly know each other.
Officers have not made any arrests and the investigation is ongoing, according to police.
UPDATE – 11/24 – 1:30 a.m.: Columbia police officers are investigating a shooting at the Columbia Mall.
Investigators told ABC 17 News a 19-year-old person sustained life-threatening injuries after the shooting in the parking lot of the mall. Police the entirety of the incident took place in a car they were searching.
Police officers are still interviewing witnesses as of 1:30 a.m. Friday. They say they do not believe they are looking for anybody and have everyone they need to talk to.
Officers said they could not confirm whether the shooting was accidental or deliberate.
Mall policy stipulates no firearms are allowed inside of the building, but it’s unclear if that applies to the parking lot as well.
ORIGINAL: Columbia police, Missouri State Highway Patrol troopers and crews from Columbia Fire Department responded to the Columbia Mall parking lot around 11:30 Thursday night.
As of midnight Friday morning, law enforcement officials have placed crime scene tape on a section of the parking lot.
Witnesses at the scene told ABC 17 News crews that an injured person was seen being loaded into an ambulance.
ABC 17 News has crews on scene working to learn more about what happened and if anyone was hurt.
This article will be updated throughout the day as new information is confirmed.
