From The Trussville Tribune staff reports
HOOVER –Three people have been shot and one, the suspect in the initial shooting, is dead in a incident at the Riverchase Galleria in Hoover. The two other people have been transported to local hospitals, according to Captain Greg Rector of the Hoover Police Department.
Two adult males got into a physical altercation near the Foot Action store inside the Galleria, Rector said. One 18-year-old male was shot twice in the torso during the argument.
The alleged 21-year-old shooter from Hueytown, who was still armed, was fleeing the area when a Hoover police officer encountered him. The officer shot and killed the suspect, who has not been identified at this time. The suspect was pronounced dead at the scene.
Related story: 12-year-old girl shot in Galleria incident remains “brave and positive”
The officer has been placed on paid administrative leave pending an investigation. The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office will investigate the officer involved in the shooting at the request of the Jefferson County District Attorney’s Office.
Rector said a 12-year-old girl was an innocent bystander who was struck by a bullet. She was transported to Children’s of Alabama and is in stable condition.
According to a social media post by her mother, the young girl was shot in the back. A military medic and a nurse on the scene rendered aid to her until paramedics arrived.
The bullet lodged close to her spine, but doctors do not believe any internal organs were damaged. While she has experienced a lot of pain from the bullet wound and subsequent surgery, her mother said she remained brave and positive.
The 18-year-old male has also been transported to UAB Hospital in serious condition.
Rector said that extra police manpower was already at the mall, which allowed police to respond quickly to the shooting.
The shooting took place inside the Galleria near Footaction at about 10 p.m., with the mall full of shoppers getting an early start on Black Friday.
The mall was cleared out by police following the shooting. The Galleria issued a statement saying the mall would be closed until further notice.
“We are devastated by the incident that happened tonight in our shopping center,” Galleria officials said in a statement. “We are working closely with the Hoover Police Department. While there is no current danger to our community, we will remain closed until further notice.”
According to the City of Hoover social media account, the incident at the Galleria has been brought under control by the Hoover Police Department. They are asking that people avoid the mall area at this time.
A brawl on Black Friday of 2017 forced an early shutdown of the Galleria, as well.
WARNING: Some of the images below from social media are graphic in nature and may be disturbing.
Someone posted this shooting in the mall at river riverchase Galleria in Hoover Alabama on Thanksgiving pic.twitter.com/3WczyXqu7A
— NIKKI (@braxtonthings) November 23, 2018
Galleria shooting🤦🏾♂️ pic.twitter.com/GAFFuGwdmM
— Lord Tae‼️ (@_TALENTKILLS_) November 23, 2018