South Carolina mall shooting leaves 10 with gunshot wounds: Three arrested in ‘not random’ attack

Ten people were shot and two others injured in a shooting at a shopping mall in South Carolina’s capital, which authorities say was not a random attack.

Three people who had firearms have been detained in connection with the Saturday afternoon shooting at Columbiana Centre, said Columbia Police Chief W.H. ‘Skip’ Holbrook. 

He said at least one of those three people fired a weapon.

‘We don’t believe this was random,’ Holbrook said. 

‘We believe they knew each other and something led to the gunfire.’

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Members of law enforcement are seen on Saturday afternoon outside the Columbiana Centre mall in Columbia, South Carolina

They gathered in the parking lot outside the Columbiana Centre after responding to a shooting where 10 people were shot and two others injured

Authorities stage in a parking lot at Columbiana Centre mall

People walk through a parking lot at the Columbiana Centre mall in Columbia on Saturday

Authorities said no fatalities have been reported but that eight of the victims were taken to the hospital. 

Of those eight, two were in critical condition and six were in stable condition, Holbrook said. 

The victims ranged in age from 15 to 73, he said.

The mall was being evacuated store-by-store and police urged anyone still sheltering inside to call 911 so that authorities could find them.

Chief Skip Holbrook is seen on Saturday afternoon addressing the media after the shooting

People are seen evacuating the mall in Columbia on Saturday afternoon 

The mall was busy with Easter weekend shoppers on Saturday when gunfire rang out 

Workers from a couple of stores clustered in the mostly empty parking lot Saturday evening said they had not heard or seen anything during the shooting, but followed the mall’s alert system and were evacuated by police shortly after. 

They said they had been waiting hours ever since for police to let them back inside to retrieve their car keys and personal belongings so they could leave.  

‘Today’s isolated, senseless act of violence is extremely upsetting and our thoughts are with everyone impacted,’ Columbiana Centre said in a statement. 

‘We are grateful for the quick response and continued support of our security team and our partners in law enforcement.’