Twelve people were injured (ten by bullets) in a shooting incident inside a Columbia mall in South Carolina, according to the local police, which proceeded to bring in three suspects.
Columbia Police Chief William Holbrooke said he did not believe the shootings at the Columbiana Center were accidental, but attributed it to a “clearing of accounts” between gunmen who knew each other.
Local media reported earlier that there was a strong police presence in the area around the mall, which is located 16 kilometers north of downtown Columbia, the capital of the US state.
No one was killed in the exchange of gunfire that took place around 2pm (local time). However, ten people were injured by bullets and eight of them were taken to hospital. Of those, two are being treated in critical but stable condition, Holbrooke said in a press conference a few hours after the incident.
The injured are aged between 15 and 73, he noted. Two other people were injured when they were trampled while trying to leave the mall.
At least three gunmen were spotted by police at the mall, one of whom allegedly fired earlier, said Holbrooke, who noted that all three had been taken into custody.
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