Multiple people were injured in a shooting at a Florida mall two days before Christmas, police said. A suspect in the shooting — which occurred at the Paddock Mall in Ocala Saturday afternoon — is believed to have fled, police said.
The mall is being evacuated, the Ocala Police Department said while urging people to avoid the area.
Syriah Williams, 18, told ABC News she was shopping at Bath & Body Works with her mother when she heard several shots ring out and “chaos erupted.”
“The employees opened the back storage area and told everyone to run,” said Williams, who took cover behind the counters at the store.
Police said the suspect was believed to have fled, and the incident was no longer considered “an active shooting situation.”
No further details were immediately provided. It’s unclear exactly where at the mall the shooting occurred. The number of injuries or potential fatalities was not immediately known.
