Black Friday 2016 has been marked by a number of violent incidents around the world, including a shooting in a mall parking lot in New Jersey.

Black Friday is the day after American Thanksgiving and is historically regarded as the beginning of Christmas shopping season.

In recent years it has become known as a time for standing in lines for hours, snagging some deep discounts and, maybe, getting into an all-out brawl with strangers.

In Columbus, Mississippi, early bird shoppers at a Walmart scuffled over a portable DVD player and gaming system.

A number of people were involved in a mass brawl in Modesto, California. The reason behind the fight was not apparent from the video.

 

 

 

 

In Bainbridge, Georgia, shoppers descended like a pack of wolves on a towel display in a Walmart.

Black Friday goers rushed the doors at another Walmart in the U.S.

While Black Friday is predominantly honoured in the U.S., countries around the world have adopted the retail phenomenon.

Shoppers at the Mall of Africa in Johannesburg, South Africa, stampeded toward the entrance to a Checkers supermarket branch.

 

 

Also in South Africa fights over toilet paper broke out in multiple locations.

 

 

In the most violent incident of the day so far, authorities said a man was fatally shot in the parking lot of a mall in New Jersey at 1:00 a.m. Friday. Officials haven’t said what sparked the shooting or if they had any suspects.