Rebecca Boone and Keith Ridler
BUAZ, Idaho (AP) – A suspect is in custody after two people were killed and four injured, including a police officer, in a shooting at a shopping center Monday in Boise, Idaho, police said.
At a press conference, authorities said the officers had shot the suspect.
On Monday evening, police said in a press release that the suspect was in critical condition at the hospital and that the injured police officer had been released and released. The police did not release any other information about the victim, the officer or the suspect.
By Monday evening, the mall was under security and police said it would be closed as an investigation continues.
Boise Police Chief Ryan Lee said the shooting was reported to law enforcement at around 1:50 pm Monday, including a report that one person was “shot” at the time.
When the officers arrived, they spotted someone who matched the suspect’s description.
“Shortly thereafter, there was a shootout, which resulted in an officer wounded and a suspect taken into custody,” Lee said. According to him, investigators believe that only one person was shooting, and there is no danger to the population.
“At this time, we really can’t talk about any motivation behind this,” Lee said, calling any speculation premature.
“I cannot stress enough how traumatic this event is for society as a whole, as well as for those who witnessed or are themselves the families of those who were involved or participated,” Lee said.
After the shooting, several witnesses stood in the rain outside the entrance to Macy’s – one of the five large department stores in the mall – waiting to be questioned by the police or told they could leave. Patrol cars from several agencies, an ambulance and fire trucks filled part of the mall’s parking lot. Officials from the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives assisted the investigation.
About a quarter of a mile away, police closed off a section of the road near a busy intersection so that they could investigate a second shooting crime scene. Officers at the second crime scene declined to answer questions about the investigation, other than confirming that it was related to the shooting investigation.
Sheri Jeepin from Boise was at the mall with a friend, where they walked for an hour three or four times a week. She said she heard several hard knocks, but thought that something had fallen from the ceiling. Then about 60 people came running to them, including families pushing the carriages, some of them shouting that the acting was shooting.
“A friend of mine tried to process it,” said Gipin, 60. “I just looked at her and said,” We have to run. ” So we just ran and kept running until we got to the outer perimeter of the parking lot. “
They returned to their car, where the police ordered the crowd of people who had escaped from the mall to leave the parking lot.
According to Li, investigators worked with hospital staff to notify family members of those injured and killed in the shooting.
The shootout between the suspect and the officer will be investigated separately by the Meridian Police Department’s Critical Incidents Task Force, police said Monday night.
Boise Mayor Lauren McLean asked members of the public and the media to provide the victims and their families with privacy as they deal with trauma from the shooting. She thanked law enforcement, first responders and others who she said have worked to keep the community safe.
“Countless people find themselves in a situation that they never could or should have expected,” McLean said, praising the shopkeepers and others at the mall for “responding so quickly to take care of the people who were there. … You showed in a difficult and chaotic moment how much you care and what you are willing to do to support and care for strangers. “
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This story has been updated to correct that four people were injured, not six as police had previously reported.
