Two people were injured in a shooting at an Arkansas mall on Black Friday, one of them busiest shopping days of the year, officials said.
In a news release, Little Rock police described the shooting at Park Plaza at 1:44 p.m. local time as an isolated incident rather than an active shooter situation. Police said it was believed to have started as a “disturbance between two individuals which escalated into gunfire.”
Both victims are expected to make a full recovery, police said. No arrests were immediately announced.
Little Rock Police Chief Heath Helton initially said at an afternoon news conference that responding officers found one injured person at the scene and two others were later transported to the hospital. However, police later clarified that only one victim was taken to an area hospital in a private vehicle, not two.
The exact circumstances of the shooting were unclear. Troy Daniels, Manager of Journey's Kidz Shoe Store, told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette He was working when he heard the gunshots “and got all the customers in my store out of there. I got them all to the back of the store and out of there. When I heard the first (shot) I thought maybe Must have fallen, but then I heard a few more shots and immediately understood what was happening.”
one in statementLittle Rock Mayor Frank Scott Jr. said that “the reckless, senseless and criminal actions of two individuals today endangered the lives and safety of residents and visitors. We are praying and hoping for the victims of this incident.” “We are confident that he will make a full recovery.”