At least five people were injured in a shooting at the Brass Mill Center mall in Waterbury, Connecticut on Tuesday night. No deaths have been reported.
Waterbury police chief Fernando Spagnolo said the mall staff likely saved lives by acting quickly.
“The people that were in the mall, the consumers that were at the mall, did an incredible job of keeping themselves and their families safe,” Spagnolo said shortly after the shooting. “The mall staff did an incredible job of keeping everyone safe. I think they mitigated a lot of what could have been a really bad incident here.”
Police have not yet caught the shooter but say they are following multiple leads. They believe he is potentially a man in his 20s.
Spagnolo said they believe the shooting happened after a fight — and was not a random act of violence.
“We've identified that gunman was armed with a semi automatic pistol,” Spagnolo said. “We recovered some evidence on the scene that's assisting us in identifying the type of weapon that was used, and we're hoping to identify the shooter through our investigative means and our forensic technology.”
Governor Ned Lamont (D) released a statement shortly after the incident.
“This afternoon there was a tragic mass shooting at the Bass [sic] Mill Center mall in Waterbury, a place where everyone should feel safe,” Lamont said. “We are grateful to law enforcement, who acted swiftly. Details are still forthcoming, but the Connecticut State Police will be assisting Waterbury Police with the investigation. Our hearts break for the Waterbury community, the victims, and their families who have been impacted by this incident.”
