AVENTURA, FLA. (WSVN) - - Police have taken two people into custody after a shooting inside a department store at Aventura Mall sent two people to the hospital.
The identities of the two people in custody and the charges they face have not been released.
Aventura Police and Miami-Dade Fire Rescue units responded to Nordstrom just after 11 a.m., Friday.
#AventuraPolice Todays incident @AventuraMall was quickly addressed by Nordstrom security #AventuraMall security and @aventurapolice officers assigned to the mall leading to a quick arrest. This was an argument between 4 individuals & not related to anything else.@cityofaventura pic.twitter.com/zYjqmJymQe
— Aventura Police (@aventurapolice) May 29, 2020
7SkyForce HD hovered above where two people could be seen being wheeled to nearby ambulances.
Several customers could also be seen being led out of the store by officers.
Officials said an argument between two people who knew each other escalated into the shooting.
Camilla Payares said she was on her way to work at the Calvin Klein store when she heard the gunshots.
“And then all of a sudden I hear ‘Pow! Pow! Pow!’ like five times, and I just started running to the Louis Vuitton store,” she said. “They were about to close the door, and I said, ‘Please, please, let me in!’ and then they opened the door.”
Police said the incident was “quickly addressed” by mall security and officers, who chased down those involved in the shooting.
“Like a foot chase, so it wasn’t like they jumped in a vehicle or anything,” said Aventura Police Sgt. Hans Maestre. “They were able to give foot chase and apprehend the suspects immediately after it happened. I know that one did definitely suffer from gunshot wounds. I don’t know exactly where, but I don’t know about the second one.”
Officials said the victims were transported to Aventura Hospital’s North Trauma Center.
Customers and employees were eventually ushered out of the mall, with several of them hugging as they left.
7News cameras captured workers, dressed head-to-toe in protective gear, cleaning the inside of the Nordstrom.
“We’re here doing a biohazard cleanup,” Marlene Sienkiewicz said. “There’s a lot of blood everywhere.”
When asked if the blood was on the clothing and merchandise, Carlos Valencia said, “Absolutely, on the floor, as well. It seems like there were a few people that were shot, and it seems like people running from one side of the store to the other ’cause you see a trace of blood from one end to the other. There’s a lot of blood spatter on the clothing and things like that. It was a pretty messy scene. It was not good.”
Nordstrom released a statement regarding the shooting:
“The shooting resulted from a dispute between customers in the store, with two of the involved customers being taken to the hospital. Our thoughts are with them and their families. No other customers or employees were injured. We immediately directed all employees and customers to evacuate the store. Our store remains on lockdown and we will remain closed for at least the rest of the day as we continue to partner with the Aventura Police Department as they investigate this situation. The well being of our employees is our top priority, and we’re doing everything we can to support them through this situation.”
Although the Nordstrom remains closed, the rest of the mall is open for business.
Copyright 2024 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.