3 shot, 5 injured in Christiana Mall shooting; Delaware State Police search for gunman

This story originally appeared on 6abc.

Three people were shot and injured at the Christiana Mall in Delaware on Saturday.

All three victims were transported to a nearby hospital for treatment. Officials say two victims are in stable condition and one is in critical condition at this time.

Officers say five other people were injured during the incident, but their injuries are not gunshot-related.

The mall will remain closed on Easter Sunday for an investigation.

Delaware State Police say the incident started in the food court. Police are searching for the suspects and are attempting to identify them.

This shooting was not a random act, according to state police. Investigators believe the gunfire began when several suspects got into an altercation with at least one of the victims.

There is no word yet on how many suspects the police are searching for.

Officers say there is no threat to the public at this time. The mall has been searched and cleared by investigators.

For anyone looking to recover property left behind at the mall, officers say to contact Christiana Mall management.

If anyone has information on the shooting or suspects, they are asked to call Delaware State Police immediately.

Action News spoke with a man who was inside the food court waiting to get pizza when he was shot by the gunman.

“We heard like seven or eight shots, ‘Bam! Bam! Bam!'” recalled Jim Harmon, a gunshot victim. “Everybody started running.”

Harmon was waiting for his food and says as he started to walk away, bullets started flying. The next thing he knew, he was hit.

“I felt something graze off my shoulder,” he said. “It’s not bad, but it’s ok.”

When the gunfire began families were seen running from the mall.

Chopper 6 overhead showed the extensive police presence surrounding the scene.

Action News also spoke with shoppers who were told to run and hide. One of them includes a woman who is nine months pregnant.

“They put us inside the room to wait it out until they found the shooter,” said Paige Menasion from Newark.

She was shopping with her mother and her daughters when the chaos erupted.

“I have my daughters with me, the first thing in my mind is ‘Thank God they are safe and with me and I know where they are at,'” she said.

It’s a situation she never thought she’d be in.

“Most important thing was to keep them safe and to stay safe and quiet until the shooter was found,” Menasion said.