Three individuals have been transported to the hospital following a shooting incident at a shopping center amidst Black Friday sales, causing chaos among shoppers seeking shelter. The violent episode took place at the Westfield Valley Fair Mall in San Jose, California, prompting a search for the perpetrator. Law enforcement disclosed that multiple individuals are receiving medical care for gunshot injuries.
The victims of the attack include a man, a woman, and a 16-year-old girl, all wounded during the incident that occurred at 5:40 pm local time the previous day according to Sergeant Jorge Garibay of the San Jose Police Department. Authorities have categorized the event as an “isolated incident” and assured the public that there is no ongoing danger.
Reports suggest that the shooting stemmed from a dispute between the suspected shooter and the male victim, inadvertently involving the two female victims, as per KRON4. Witness Shawn Kulasingham, 23, recounted hearing a loud noise followed by a rush of people, describing the scene as a chaotic stampede with the building trembling.
Kulasingham detailed how he sought refuge with his family inside a secure Abercrombie & Fitch store, using clothing racks and cabinets as shields while chaos unfolded around them. Meanwhile, store security at Bloomingdales guided around 20 customers, including Bilal Zuberi and his wife, into storage closets as a precautionary measure in response to the panic but did not report hearing gunshots. An announcement instructing individuals to remain in place was made over the store’s public address system.