A Los Angeles area man is accused of shooting his 30-year-old ex-wife to death inside a busy Thousand Oaks, California, shopping mall, sending shoppers scrambling for exits.
“Shooting at Oaks Mall, one female victim dead at scene, one male victim transported to local hospital in grave condition. Gun was recovered at the scene,” the Sheriff’s Department wrote on Twitter shortly after the incident broke on the afternoon of March 17, 2018.
The crime scene was contained to a store and authorities are not searching for an outstanding suspect, according to Sgt. Eric Buschow, a spokesman for the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office. The Thousand Oaks Station wrote on Twitter that there was no threat to the public: “TOaks Police are on the scene of a shooting at the Oaks Mall,” a tweet from the station said. “The situation is contained and there is no threat to the public.” The motive was not yet clear.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. The Shooting Was an Act of ‘Domestic Violence’ in a Stationary Store, Authorities Say
As the situation stabilized, some of the details became more clear. Police now allege that the injured man shot the woman and then turned the weapon on himself.
Authorities identified the victim as the ex-wife of the shooter, and said the accused shooter was in “grave condition” at a hospital. The shooting occurred inside Paper Source, a stationary store in the mall.
“Shooting at Oaks Mall appears to be case of domestic violence. The man entered the store and shot his ex-wife, then shot himself. Investigation is ongoing,” Buschow, PIO for the Ventura Sheriff, wrote on Twitter. “The woman, who died at the scene is a 30-yr-old TO resident. The man is a 33-yr-old LA area resident.”
According to VC Star, “initial reports indicated that at least two people, a male and a female, suffered injuries. Emergency medical personnel were called to the scene to transport one of the patients to a local hospital. Another was declared dead.”
The mall was evacuated Saturday afternoon after shots were fired, reported KTLA 5 News. “There are no outstanding suspects at this time, and the indoor portion of the Oaks Mall has reopened. The open air portion of the mall will remain closed during the investigation,” The Ventura County Sheriff wrote.
Although the shooting led to immediate fears of an active shooter, it did not take long for the situation to stabilize. “The incident is static,” the Ventura County Fire Department tweeted shortly after 3 p.m.
The shooting reports led to some frightening moments for people whose loved ones were at the mall. “Just got a text from one of my best friends about how she just escaped a mall shooting at The Oaks Mall in Thousand Oaks, California. The shooter is still at large. Police are on the scene. I’m horrified,” one man wrote on Twitter.
2. Shoppers Were Advised to Seek Safety at a Fire Station
The situation initially led to panic at the mall as authorities tried to figure out what was happening.
According to KTLA, police referred to the situation as an “active emergency,” a Thousand Oaks police spokesman said.
Ventura County Fire Department officials recommended those evacuating the mall to go to a safety zone set up at Fire Station on Hillcrest Drive, the VC Star reports.
Those outside the lockdown were being evacuated, according to reports on Twitter. The evacuation ended at 3:45 p.m. and people were allowed back into the mall, authorities said. Jeffrey Simpson, 17, told The Associated Press that he was shopping with his mother at a department store “when an announcement came over the intercom about a threat outside the mall.”
“I went to Nordstrom to get pants, and the next thing I know, the doors are being sealed,” Simpson said, according to AP. Autumn Montano, 19, a college student, told Thousand Oaks Acorn: “All of a sudden we heard people screaming. We saw everyone running toward the food court so I just freaked out.”
3. The Shooting Occurred After an Argument & Bystanders Ran Through the Mall
The accused shooter was a 33-year-man from the Los Angeles area, Thousand Oaks Acorn reported. The Thousand Oaks Acorn reported that the man is accused of walking into Paper Source, a stationary store in the mall, and shooting his ex-wife after an argument ensued. It was not clear what the argument was about, however.
Matt Lemieux was working on his computer inside the Coffee Bean, wearing headphones, when he suddenly saw “a whole group of people” running by, according to VC Star.
His 9-year-old son was at a birthday party in the movie theater, and he headed there, VC Star reports.
“It was creepy,” he said.
According to VC Star, Peter Birkel was watching the new Tomb Raider movie with his family at Muvico while the incident was underway. He and his family were not made aware of the incident until they came out of the movie.
Video posted on Twitter by Anthony A. Angelini showed armed sheriff’s deputies outside one of the mall exits with guns drawn as visitors were directed out of the building. You can watch it above.
4. The Shooter Attempted Suicide After Killing His Ex-Wife
Deputies found the victim, a 30-year-old Thousand Oaks woman, dead of an apparent gunshot wound and her 33-year-old ex-husband with life-threatening injuries, authorities said. The man, a Los Angeles resident, was transported to a local hospital, where he remains in critical condition.
Sgt. Buschow said the couple’s children were located and found unharmed.
Twitter was flooded with people giving updates, asking for news and expressing concern for loved ones. Another Twitter user posted a video of the inside of the mall during the lock down.
Leo Juarez, who works at a body jewelry store called Mystic Visions, said he heard helicopters and watched as people evacuated before doing so himself, reports the Los Angeles Times.
“Not sure what’s going on,” he said. “We heard commotion, people running to the opposite end of the mall yelling, ‘Shooter!'”
5. The Oaks Mall Shooting Happened Shortly After Another Mall Shooting in Ohio
There were reports of an active shooter at Beachwood Place mall in Beachwood, Ohio, shortly before the news broke of the shooting in Thousand Oaks.
Cleveland 19 News reports that police have one person in custody after shots were fired outside of Saks Fifth Avenue at the Beachwood mall.
According to Fox 8 Cleveland, “an eyewitness on the scene at the mall reports that at around 3 p.m., some type of disturbance caused the mall to be locked down. The storefront gates were lowered on all the stores, and the mall was allegedly evacuated. Stores were closed.”
Police say the shooter knew and intentionally shot the victim. One person was taken to the hospital in stable condition. As far as police can tell, there was only one victim.
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