One person was killed and a woman was injured after a shooting inside an Ocala, Florida mall on Saturday afternoon, CNN reported.
Ocala Police Chief Mike Balken police received 911 calls about multiple shots fired inside the Paddock Mall. He added the call came in describing an “active shooter” scenario, so they responded with a heavy police presence.
“Officers immediately made entry into the mall and ultimately discovered this was not an active shooter situation,” Balken stated.
Police instead characterized the shooting incident as a “targeted act of violence”, Balken said.
Paddock Mall in Ocala was evacuated and there is no longer a threat, police said in a Facebook post.
The chief confirmed one adult male was found dead inside the mall from gunshot wounds. Balken said one woman suffered a gunshot wound to her leg. He said she was transported to a hospital, adding she is expected to survive.
Police are still searching for the suspect, who was described as a Black male wearing a black hoodie, black pants and a black mask over his face, Balken said.