2023-12-24 20:00:00
(CNN) — Authorities continue to search for the suspect in the shooting at a shopping center in Ocala, Florida, this Saturday, which claimed the life of one person and injured another on one of the busiest shopping days of the year.
Ocala Police Chief Mike Balken said Saturday that authorities believe the shooting was a targeted act of violence. David Nathaniel Barron, 40, was found dead with gunshot wounds in a common area inside the mall, according to police, while a woman wounded in the leg is expected to survive.
The suspect fled the mall on foot following the shooting, according to authorities. Balken described him as a black man wearing black pants, a hoodie and a black mask.
The shooting occurred at the Paddock Mall just two days before Christmas, just on a date that analysts expected to be the second busiest following Black Friday as consumers made last-minute purchases, further underscoring how Gun violence has become widespread in the United States as it seeps into nearly every space of daily life.
In fact, as of Sunday morning, more than 42,000 people have died from firearms in 2023, according to Gun Violence Archive. More than 18,400 of those deaths were the result of homicide.
An Ocala Police Department vehicle outside the Paddock Mall on Saturday. (Credit: Alan Youngblood for Star-Ban//USA Today Network/Archyde.com)
This Sunday, the Police published several images of a “person of interest” in the case, and asked the public for help in identifying the individual, who appeared dressed in dark clothing, white sneakers and a red hat.
Balken acknowledged that there were “a lot of people inside the mall” at the time of the shooting, “which means there are a lot of witnesses who might help us bring this case to a successful resolution.”
The Ocala Police Department has asked that anyone with footage of the shooting come forward to share it with detectives.
Authorities initially received a call around 3:40 p.m. regarding multiple gunshots, Balken said Saturday at a news conference. They responded with multiple officers following that initial alert described the incident as an “active attacker” scenario.
“Officers immediately entered the mall and ultimately discovered that this was not an active shooter situation,” Balken said.
Police found the victims and recovered the gun they believe was used in the shooting, Balken said.
Syriah Williams was shopping with her mother at the mall when the shooting occurred, the 18-year-old told CNN.
“We heard a gunshot, then a pause, then another 3 gunshots rang out and chaos broke out,” he said in a message, adding that mall employees opened the back storage area and ordered everyone to run.
Washington Prime Group, corporate owner of Paddock Mall, told CNN on Sunday that the mall will be closed on Sunday and Monday. The Ocala Police Department previously said the parking lot had reopened so people might retrieve their vehicles.
CNN’s Dakin Andone contributed to this report.
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