BLOOMINGTON, Minn. (AP) — The Mall of America has been placed on lockdown after a reported shooting, police in Minnesota said Friday.
The Bloomington Police Department said police and emergency medical crews were on the scene of a “reported shooting” at the mall. Police said the mall had been placed on lockdown.
Videos posted on social media showed shoppers hiding in stores. The reported shooting comes as shopping centers and malls across the U.S. see an influx of shoppers just days before Christmas.
The Mall of America confirmed the lockdown on its Twitter account and asked shoppers to remain in “the closest secure location.”
Since it opened in 1992, the mall has been the largest in the U.S. and is a tourist destination and community gathering spot. It bans guns on the premises but does not have metal detectors at its entrances.
The mall was placed on lockdown in August after a reported shooting at the suburban Minneapolis shopping complex sent some shoppers running for cover and two people were wounded last New Year’s Eve during an apparent altercation.
Representatives from the city of Bloomington and the Mall of America did not immediately return requests for comment.