Fight sparks North Carolina mall shooting; 1 killed

Photo of people leaving Northlake Mall in Charlotte, North Carolina after reports of shots being fired on Christmas Eve.

An off-duty Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department officer working security at the mall responded to the gunfire, which happened during a fight between two groups.

Putney says an off-duty officer nearby heard gunshots and confronted an armed man who pointed a gun in his direction.

Authorities says the suspect, who was identified as 18-year-old Daquan Westbrook, was given emergency aid, but medics pronounced him dead shortly afterward.

Channel 9 spoke with a football coach who was inside the mall when the shots rang out. But he says people are still locked in stores, where they were hiding to try to remain safe.

It was not immediately clear whether Hamrick was talking about the same man as the one police said died.

#Breaking shooting at Northlake Mall, heavy police presence. “It was wild. I heard the first shot and I thought, ‘Wait”.

At least one other person was wounded in the leg, according to local television station reports. He said he backed up against a wall and watched as people fled the scene. Witnesses describe shoppers running out of stores screaming. A woman also went into labor at the mall and another victim suffered an asthma attack, the Charlotte Observer reported.