National news
Anne Arundel County Public Information Officer Sara Schriver talks to reporters after a triple shooting at Westfield Annapolis Mall, Friday Nov. 18, 2006, in Annapolis, Md. Three people were shot during what appeared to be a gangland-style confrontation in the food court of the shopping mall Saturday evening, and one was critically wounded. (AP Photo/Matt Houston)
MATT HOUSTON: AP
Nov. 18, 2006, 11:51PM
Federal agent among 3 shot at Md. mall
By BEN GREENE Associated Press Writer
© 2006 The Associated Press
ANNAPOLIS, Md. — An off-duty Secret Service agent was shot after intervening in a fight in a shopping mall food court Saturday evening, and he returned fire, wounding the shooter, police said.
A third person was also shot in the melee, and all were hospitalized in stable condition late Saturday, said Officer Sara Schriver, an Anne Arundel County police spokeswoman.
The agent was at the Westfield Annapolis mall with his family shortly after 7 p.m. when he saw a group of men attacking another man, Schriver said.
"They all just started attacking one individual ... physically assaulting him, punching him," she said.
The agent tried to break up the fight, and someone in the group drew a gun and started firing, she said.
"He ran across the food court with his gun and was shooting at people," witness Lindsay Busch told WJZ-TV.
After the agent was shot, he drew his handgun and returned fire, wounding the shooter, police said. A third person was shot during the gunfight, but it was not clear who shot that person, Schriver said.
The agent and the shooter were flown to the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore. The third victim was driven to a local hospital.
Their identities were not released.
Dozens of people witnessed what Schriver characterized as "a very traumatic and terrorizing incident."
"We had families there and juveniles, (a) typical Saturday night for you at the mall," she said.
Video surveillance footage of the scene was turned over to police, said Scott deGraffenreid, the mall's marketing director. He said mall management would not comment on the incident, citing the ongoing investigation.
Ray Leone, manager of the Borders Books & Music across from the food court, said he heard at least 10 gunshots, and dozens of people ran into his store in a panic.
"It's really not very normal, way out of the commonplace," he said.
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/ ... 46174.html
I was in a shopping center (trying to go christmas shopping) in Annapolis right next to the mall with a friend when this happened. Then unsuspectingly I go to the mall with her and several minutes after we get there she runs into a friend who said that someone was shot (the rumor was that someone was shot 7 times and killed but thankfully that wasn't the case).
After finding out about it, we go to the food court to see what was going on and the whole court was taped off and food was on the floor and the tables. It was the first time in a long time that I got goosebumps. When my friend and I left the building we walked around and saw tons of police cars and we even walked past a Channel 13 reporter and cameraman.
It's strange for a place so close to home and so common to me to become national news like this.
Also, as irony would have it, the woman in the photo spoke to my news media class just last week. It's a small world.
The night was really strange and makes me think how quickly life could end or even come close to ending.
So everybody be careful wherever you go. Please don't wind up in the news like this.
-- improve the quality (and safety) of your life and move to a smaller town!