Deputies from the Richmond County Sheriff's Office are now sweeping Augusta Mall in Georgia following reports of a shooting.
The shots appear to have begun at Dillard's store inside the mall. An Augusta Chronicle reporter saw people fleeing the mall around 1:45 p.m.
Shortly after, nearly a dozen patrol cars, two ambulances, and five Central EMS SUVs arrived in response. A few of these vehicles are still around past 4p.m., but most have left.
The sheriff's office stated: "The investigation is in its early stages and there is no additional information available at this time."
A journalist from the Augusta Chronicle happened to be at the scene, and said that she witnessed people suddenly running out of the mall in the afternoon.
A Dillard's employee at the scene said she hid behind the counter when she heard there was a shooting. Other employees said they hid inside a bathroom.
No updates have been made on injuries or casualties at the scene so far.
It's also not the first time Augusta Mall was the site of a shooting. On Saturday, October 3rd 2020, 3:08 PM EDT, 37-year-old Tony Burton opened fire, shooting and killing Derrell Little. Burton was convicted for the fatal death, and for injuring a bystander: 20-year-old Aubrey Adams, who survived the encounter.
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The shooting in Georgia is sadly not the only tragedy to be reported today. A 14-year-old Florida boy told police he accidentally shot and killed his 11-year-old brother after finding a gun in an alley near their home, authorities said.
St. Petersburg police responded to the family’s home shortly after noon on Friday and found Amir Williams suffering from a gunshot wound, according to a police news release. The boy died at the scene.
Students had the day off from school on Friday, and Amir was home with his older brother and 13-year-old sister, police said. The children’s mother wasn’t home. "The 14-year-old advised that he had found the gun recently and the family was unaware that it was inside the residence," Mike Kovacsev, the police department’s assistant chief of investigations, said at a news conference Friday afternoon.
Amir’s brother told investigators he found the gun and that no one else in the family knew he had it. Police were working with prosecutors to determine if any criminal charges would be filed. The gun was reported stolen on Wednesday in St. Petersburg.
Amir's uncle, Darryl Walls said: “Amir got some much potential man and I hate to see so much potential be gone so soon, 11 years old that just dying too young." He added: "We need to get to the bottom of this and find out who's putting these guns in these kid's hands.
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