Mall shooting: 12 injured in shooting at Columbiana Center mall in South Carolina, police say; 3 arrested

Three people who had firearms were arrested in connection with Saturday afternoon’s shooting at the Columbiana Center, Columbia Police Chief WH “Skip” Holbrook said. He said at least one of those three people fired a gun.

“We don’t think this was accidental,” Holbrook said. “We believe they knew each other and something led to the shooting.”

Authorities said no deaths had been reported but eight of the victims had been taken to hospital. Of those eight, two were in critical condition and six in stable condition, Holbrook said. The victims were between the ages of 15 and 73, he said.

The mall was evacuated store by store, and police urged anyone still inside to call 911 so authorities could locate them.

Workers from a few stores who gathered in the mostly empty parking lot Saturday night said they heard or saw nothing during the shooting but followed the mall’s alarm system and were evacuated by police shortly after. They said they had been waiting for hours for police to let them back inside to get their car keys and personal belongings so they could leave. They declined to give their names, citing company policy.

“Today’s isolated, senseless act of violence is extremely disturbing and our thoughts are with all those affected,” the Columbiana Center said in a statement. “We are grateful for the prompt response and continued support from our security team and law enforcement partners.”