Shooting at Idaho mall leaves two dead and six injured

A mall mass shooting in Idaho left two dead and six, including a police officer, injured on Monday, police said.

The suspect is wounded and in critical condition.  

Boise Police responded to reports of shots fired at the Boise Towne Square Mall, on N. Milwaukee around 2pm.

Police and first responders were then sent to the scene.

Officers found somebody who matched the suspect’s description and exchanged gunfire, a police officer was injured. 

Police believe there was only one shooter involved. 

The suspect is now in police custody, and there are no indications of an ongoing threat, police said. Most of the mall’s 153 stores have been cleared. 

Outside the mall, police cars and ambulances could be seen, as victims were brought outside for assistance.  

Video recorded by shoppers who were at the mall at the time of the shooting, shows people running from exit doors as shots being fired and screams can be heard.

North and Southbound lanes on Milwaukee Street between Emerald and Franklin roads were closed.  

Reports of people locked in the mall during the shooting while police handled the situation emerged on social media. 

‘My wife is locked in a storeroom at the Boise Mall. There were multiple gun shots. People running everywhere,’ shared Twitter user @BoiseBetter.  

Boise Police Chief Ryan Lee provided an update on the shooting to the media. 

Lee said police were working on notifying families of the victims before releasing their names. 

‘I cannot stress enough how traumatic this event is for the community at large, as well as for those that were witnesses, or are the family of those involved or involved themselves,’ Lee said.  

‘Again, this is an ongoing investigation. We really, at this time, can not see any motivation behind it,’ he said. 

A county task force is assisting the investigation.