COBB COUNTY, Ga. — Police are still looking for a suspect in a shooting Saturday afternoon at one of metro Atlanta's busiest malls which left one person injured during a crowded shopping weekend just weeks before Christmas.
According to Cobb County Officer Sarah O'Hara, an argument in the mall's food court escalated into gunfire. And, while the shooting itself was targeted - police said the suspect and victim appear to have known each other - those who heard the gunfire in the large mall only knew that something was very wrong.
O'Hara said that during the confusion surrounding the shooting, "a number of people" had panic attacks and pregnant women wanted medical personnel to check them out to ensure their babies were OK.
In the aftermath, items like shoes were left behind along with shattered glass at one exit where several people tried to escape at once.
"I'm still pretty shook up," said one witness to the mayhem.
Cobb County Police quickly blocked all entrances to the mall property when they arrived.
Some witnesses described what they said sounded like gunshots. Their suspicions were later proven true. One man who was shopping at a DSW location inside the mall said employees locked him inside and sent him to the rear of the store.
The mall was closed as officers searched for the shooting suspect, O'Hara said. Police have yet to locate that person, but the mall did later reopen on Saturday. The food court, however, remained closed because it was tied to their crime scene.
In the rush to respond to the scene, O'Hara said a Cobb County motorcycle officer received minor injuries when his unit struck a vehicle nearby. Outside of that, she didn't report other response-related injuries.
Cumberland Mall is a large regional shopping center with about 135 stores located about 15 miles northwest of Downtown Atlanta, near the intersection of I-75 and I-285.
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