Off-duty police officers officer shoots man with gun at North Carolina mall

Shopper Jake Wallace, 24, of Boone, N.C., was at the mall when he heard the commotion.

The Christmas Eve shooting at a North Carolina mall was sparked by a long-running feud and was not a random act of violence, police have said.

During the fight, a weapon was brandished and shots were fired about 2 p.m.at Northlake Mall in Charlotte, Putney said.

The Mecklenburg Emergency Medical Services Agency said it treated one patient with a leg injury, one patient with an asthma attack and one patient in labor.

As last-minute shoppers were picking out their final gifts, witnesses say they heard several shots fired from the lower-level of the mall.

Authorities have identified the gunman who was killed as 18-year-old Daquan Antonio Westbrook.

“Everyone hollered get down, get down they got a gun, they shooting, they shooting”, said Anthony Gray, who was near where the shooting occurred. Didn’t think anything of it, ‘ Wallace said.

“The scale of the situation at the time when it comes in and people perceive it as an active shooter we’re going to move all possible potential victims out of harm’s way and that’s why that decision was made”.

In reference to the argument, Chief Putney says there was an ongoing dispute between the groups, but added there is no indication that the incident was gang related. But then I heard a rapid fire.

Henry grabbed his children and ran into a nearby Hallmark store to take cover Demaris Jones’ daughter works at the mall. Witnesses tell WBTV the shooting was in retaliation to a shooting that happened last week involving the deceased suspect’s brother. He responded to the scene at Journeys, a shoe store franchise, and Westbrook pointed his firearm at Ferguson. “I was trying to get to Dillards to run out the mall”, Daniels recalls.

“People with newborn babies were getting trampled over she said people were crying hysterical looking for their teenaged children”, she said. He said multiple weapons were found at the scene.

CMPD says detectives are still investigating the officer-involved shooting. “No officers have been injured throughout this capturing”.