Apparent shooting at West Edmonton Mall under investigation: police

An apparent shooting at West Edmonton Mall on Thursday forced shoppers and employees to shelter in backrooms. It's the second lockdown at the mall this week.

Police are investigating an apparent shooting at West Edmonton Mall.

Officers responded to the mall at 12:24 p.m. for a weapons complaint, an Edmonton Police Service spokesperson says.

“It was reported to police that two males were walking near the Bourbon Street area of the mall when one of the males discharged what appeared to be a firearm at the other,” Aminah Syed wrote in an email to news outlets.

“As a result, the mall was placed on lockdown as police investigated. The lockdown has since been lifted and there is no further danger to the public. No injuries have been reported at this time.”

A photo obtained by CTV News Edmonton appears to show a bullet casing on the ground in the Bourbon Street area of the mall.

A witness who spoke to CTV News says she saw a man with a mask over part of his face point a gun at the second man outside the Boston Pizza.

This is the second police incident at the mall this week.

On Monday, Edmonton police responded to the mall at 8:20 p.m. after reports of a person pointing a gun at another person.

The Edmonton Police Service (EPS) says a 15-year-old boy was apprehended and the gun was determined to be a toy designed to look like a real firearm.

Police called the situation “potentially dangerous.”

“Because of the risk to public and officer safety, police treat all firearm complaints as real,” EPS wrote in a social media post.

“Officers will respond quickly, using appropriate resources, tactics, and levels of force. These encounters can become deadly, even when the gun is not real.”

More to come...

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