OCALA, FL – A man was killed, and a woman was injured in a shooting that took place at a shopping mall in Ocala, Florida on Saturday afternoon. The incident, which initially misled responders with an “active shooter” scenario, was confirmed by Ocala Police Chief Mike Balken.
Following multiple 911 calls, a substantial police force responded to the Paddock Mall. However, upon arriving at the scene, the officers discovered that it was not an active shooter situation but a targeted act of violence.
The deceased was identified as 40-year-old David Nathaniel Barron. The injured woman, found with a gunshot wound to her leg, was rushed to the hospital and expected to survive.
The search for the assailant, a black male dressed in black and wearing a face mask, was ongoing as of Saturday night, Chief Balken reported.
A witness to the incident, 18-year-old Syriah Williams, recounted hearing gunshots while shopping at the mall. She said the incident began with a single shot, a pause, and then three successive fires. In the ensuing chaos, mall employees directed everyone to run through the storage area’s back exit.
Expressing deep regret over the unfortunate incident, owners of the Paddock Mall released a statement affirming their priority of ensuring the safety of their guests, retailers, and employees. They pledged their full cooperation with Ocala Police Department’s ongoing investigation.
The mass shooting took place on one of the busiest shopping days of the year. Communities across the country are grappling with solutions to curb gun violence, with death tolls nearing 42,000 this year as per the Gun Violence Archive.