Zaraki KenpachiAt least three people were injured in a shooting Saturday afternoon at Aventura Mall that sent shoppers scattering to hide in stores and running out of exits just before 4 p.m. Several people posted videos of the aftermath on social media while authorities questioned witnesses and scoured the area for the gunman who fled on foot.
An argument between two groups of people grew heated and got physical outside the Hugo Boss store in the mall, police said. One group showed a gun. One man from the other group pulled out another gun and fired multiple shots, according to witnesses and police.
Aventura Police reported three people were treated with non-life-threatening injuries at local hospitals, but Miami-Dade Fire Rescue tweeted that five people were transported with injuries.
MDFR clarified the discrepancy saying there were initially three people injured in the shooting but by the end of the incident two more were also injured.
Aventura Police Major Michael Bentolila told reporters that the shooter, a Black man in an all-black Adidas outfit, ran away from the scene, heading west. Multiple agencies are searching for him. Aventura detectives were questioning three suspects who were taken into custody.
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“We do not have anyone on the property we consider a threat,” Bentolila said.
The mall, at 19501 Biscayne Blvd., will remained closed throughout the night and return to normal hours Sunday, police said. The shopping center will open at 12 p.m. and close at 8 p.m.
“We are asking anybody who had plans to come to the mall to make different plans for now, and once we’re able to advise it’s open again we will do so as fast as possible,” Bentolila said.
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“We do not have anyone on the property we consider a threat,” Bentolila said.
Aventura Major Michael Bentolila told reporters the shooter, a Black man in an all-black Adidas outfit, ran away from the scene, heading west. Multiple agencies are searching for him. BY ALEX HARRIS
Among the jarred shoppers were Cynthia Parlin, a tourist from Savannah, who was inside Macy’s shopping with her friends when she heard four gunshots.
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“People were stumbling, running, screaming. We smelled the smoke in the air,” she said. “Everybody was terrified.”
Employees herded terrified customers into the back of the store, where they hid for 30 minutes while the employees rushed to shut the metal security gates at the entrances to each store.
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People run away from Aventura Mall after a reporter shooting
Aventura police are looking into a possible shooting at Aventura Mall Saturday afternoon. Social media pictures and video show people hiding inside the mall.
Aventura City Manager Ron Wasson told the Miami Herald that authorities were investigating and sweeping the area with an evidence recovery animal in case someone dropped a firearm.
“They just want to make sure if someone might have dumped a weapon, we don’t miss it,” he said.
Roberto Ferrera, a 47-year-old house painter, was inside Macy’s doing what many were doing Saturday afternoon — looking for Mother’s Day presents.
He joined the mad dash for the exit after he heard the gunshots, which seemed to him like they were in a different part of the mall.
“It makes you feel like you aren’t safe,” he said. “This is someplace you bring your family too. We’re living in a crazy world now.”
Ferrera said he hopes Aventura Mall will add metal detectors at the entrances soon to keep shoppers safe.
Outside the entrance to the closed Macy’s, a security guard turned people away at the locked doors, and customers outside swapped stories of their recent encounters with gun violence in South Florida, usually traffic related.
Twitter users posted videos of patrons running from the mall and customers and staff hiding inside stores.
The department’s first mention of the shooting came at 5:15 p.m., more than an hour after initial reports, and police only refereed to it as an “incident at the mall” on Twitter.
“All patrons and employees are being escorted off of the property,” the department said. “Access to the mall will not be allowed until further notice.”
Traffic jams formed around the area as cars streamed out of the mall’s parking lots. Bus riders had to walk to another stop outside the mall property to catch a ride.
Social media posts from shoppers circulated in the aftermath.
One Twitter video shows a man with a bandaged hand rocking back and forth as a security or police officer attends to him with a first aid kit.
Another man was seen in another Twitter user’s post being wheeled out of the mall on a gurney.
Nearly a year ago a similar situation unfolded at Aventura Mall. A man had opened fire on two other men, wounding them, after a brawl inside the Nordstrom at the mall. The shooter was charged with two counts of attempted murder with a deadly weapon.
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