SAN JOSE, Calif. – Three people were shot at the Westfield Valley Fair mall in San Jose on Friday afternoon, and authorities are investigating.
The San Jose Police Department announced on X just after 6 p.m. that officers were at the mall investigating reports of the shooting, which was reported about 5:40 p.m.
The shooting happened outside the women’s Macy’s on the second floor of the mall.
Panic and screams:
Video taken from those inside the mall showed people screaming and running for safety, as well as dozens of others taking shelter in a hallway.
“We were just eating dinner at California Pizza Kitchen and all of a sudden a stampede of people come running our way,” said Tyler Pina of Morgan Hill. “I did hear a couple shots there at the end. We ended up hiding in somebody’s backyard with a group of like 10, 15 of us for about 30 minutes.”
Police initially reported that they found two victims at the scene, but later said just after 8:35 p.m. that three victims – a man, a woman and a 16-year-old girl – had been found with gunshot wounds and were taken to a hospital for treatment of what were believed to be non-life-threatening injuries.
“A shooting in a crowded mall on a busy shopping day is deeply concerning,” said SJPD Chief Paul Joseph. “To reassure our community, we are increasing patrols throughout the weekend while our Detectives continue their focused work to identify and locate the individual responsible. I have full confidence the suspect will be brought to justice swiftly.”
Dig deeper:
The police department later said that the shooting “appears to be an isolated incident” and not an active shooting.
The department said that a preliminary investigation indicated a male suspect “became involved in a verbal altercation” with the male victim before pulling out a firearm and firing multiple shots. The department also added that the incident was gang-related, but said the circumstances of the shooting are still under investigation.
The suspect fled the scene of the shooting before police arrived.
“It was not targeting unsuspecting shoppers,” Sgt. Jorge Garibay of the San Jose Police Department said. “Something had occurred between this male and one of our victims transpired, and then the shooting occurred. However we’re still trying to figure out what transpired prior to the shooting.”
SJPD also said that the woman and the girl who were injured were believed to have been uninvolved bystanders.
“This is not the news I wanted to share with you this holiday weekend,” San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan said on X in the wake of the shooting. “My prayers are with these victims and I know our officers are doing everything they can to find the person responsible and hold them accountable.”
The SJPD said officers evacuated the mall in order to confirm that there was no ongoing threat, and advised the public to avoid the area as officers investigated the scene and worked “to ensure everyone’s safety.”
What they’re saying:
Several shaken Macy’s employees could be seen embracing outside as the mall was evacuated and officers swept the property.
Shoppers described a chaotic scene as gunfire erupted.
“I was in Macy’s shopping for lipsticks with my mom and my brother and we heard loud bang sounds,” said Ruhama Thomas of San Jose. “We didn’t think much of it and then glass shattered, so we ducked down. It kept coming so we started running out… and then we heard more gunshots once we were outside.”
“I saw people running and I got scared so I ran,” said Emma Schriefer of Morgan Hill.
Other shoppers described getting separated from their loved ones in the mayhem.
“We were getting pushed over because we were just trying to look back to our friends making sure they were safe,” said Colin Sawaya of Santa Clara.
“I almost lost my shoe,” said Ison Danh of Santa Clara.
SJPD is asking anyone who may have cellphone video that may assist the investigation to reach out to the department.
The Westfield Valley Fair mall reopened at noon on Saturday.
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