Gunman opens fire inside Mall of America, lockdown lifted

BLOOMINGTON, Minn. – The Mall of America was placed on lockdown for nearly two hours Thursday after police said “shots were fired” inside the massive shopping complex.

Bloomington police said it was an “isolated incident” and that the suspect fled the mall and no injuries were reported.

Police said the mall began lifting the lockdown at 5:40 p.m. and will remain closed for the rest of the night. WCCO’s Adam Duxter said patrons began leaving the mall around 6:30 p.m.

Video posted on Twitter at 4:36 p.m. shows a man crying as he walks into a Nike store. Several shots were heard.

Duxter talks to a mall visitor who heard the gunshot.

“We were about to go to the Nike store and we heard a lot of commotion, and then we just looked and heard pop pop pop!” by Jodiss Pierre. “You duck… and then you run, but as you run you look back to make sure your family is okay. I did it because I was with my family, I had to make sure they were okay, and then we just ran to the nearest exit.”