South Carolina mall shooting leaving 12 injured: Police charge male suspect, 22, and are seeing if others were involved in ‘targeted’ attack sparked by an earlier fight

  • Ten people aged 15 to 73 have been shot and two others injured at the Columbiana Centre mall in Columbia
  • Three people who all had firearms have been arrested, Columbia’s police chief said
  • The attack is not believed to be random: ‘We believe they knew each other and something led to the gunfire,’ Chief W.H. ‘Skip’ Holbrook said 
  • WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT 

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Ten people were shot and two others injured in a shooting at a shopping mall in South Carolina’s capital, which authorities say was not a random attack.

Three people who had firearms have been detained in connection with the Saturday afternoon shooting at Columbiana Centre, said Columbia Police Chief W.H. ‘Skip’ Holbrook. 

Jewayne M. Price, 22 will be charged with unlawful carrying of a pistol, but additional charges may be forthcoming. 

Two additional males, who were not named, were also detained for questioning and were released from police custody after it was determined that they were not involved in the shooting.

Authorities have seized one firearm related to the incident. Preliminary examination of ballistic evidence collected from the scene indicates that at least two different firearms were used by two suspects. 

‘We don’t believe this was random,’ Holbrook said. 

‘We believe they knew each other and something led to the gunfire.’

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Blood could be seen on the floor in the wake of a shooting that injured 12 people at a South Carolina mall on Saturday

Blood could be seen on the floor in the wake of a shooting that injured 12 people at a South Carolina mall on Saturday

People sat in the mall in the aftermath of the shooting

A person is carried away on a gurney in the aftermath of a shooting

People could be seen sitting in the mall in the aftermath of the shooting (left), and someone was carried away on a gurney (right)

Members of law enforcement are seen on Saturday afternoon outside the Columbiana Centre mall in Columbia, South Carolina

Members of law enforcement are seen on Saturday afternoon outside the Columbiana Centre mall in Columbia, South Carolina

They gathered in the parking lot outside the Columbiana Centre after responding to a shooting where 10 people were shot and two others injured

They gathered in the parking lot outside the Columbiana Centre after responding to a shooting where 10 people were shot and two others injured

Mall security are seen inside the shopping center after the shooting

Mall security are seen inside the shopping center after the shooting

Authorities stage in a parking lot at Columbiana Centre mall

Authorities stage in a parking lot at Columbiana Centre mall

People walk through a parking lot at the Columbiana Centre mall in Columbia on Saturday

People walk through a parking lot at the Columbiana Centre mall in Columbia on Saturday

Authorities said no fatalities have been reported but that eight of the victims were taken to the hospital. 

Of those eight, two were in critical condition and six were in stable condition, Holbrook said. 

The victims ranged in age from 15 to 73, he said.

The mall was being evacuated store-by-store and police urged anyone still sheltering inside to call 911 so that authorities could find them.

Chief Skip Holbrook is seen on Saturday afternoon addressing the media after the shooting

Chief Skip Holbrook is seen on Saturday afternoon addressing the media after the shooting

People are seen evacuating the mall in Columbia on Saturday afternoon

People are seen evacuating the mall in Columbia on Saturday afternoon 

The mall was busy with Easter weekend shoppers on Saturday when gunfire rang out

The mall was busy with Easter weekend shoppers on Saturday when gunfire rang out 

Workers from a couple of stores clustered in the mostly empty parking lot Saturday evening said they had not heard or seen anything during the shooting, but followed the mall’s alert system and were evacuated by police shortly after. 

They said they had been waiting hours ever since for police to let them back inside to retrieve their car keys and personal belongings so they could leave.  

‘Today’s isolated, senseless act of violence is extremely upsetting and our thoughts are with everyone impacted,’ Columbiana Centre said in a statement. 

‘We are grateful for the quick response and continued support of our security team and our partners in law enforcement.’

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