Gunfire erupted inside a Detroit-area shopping mall Friday afternoon, sending shoppers running for the exits the day before the nation’s 250th birthday celebration.
The shooting took place around 2 p.m. at Fairlane Town Center in Dearborn, Michigan, near Evergreen Road and Michigan Avenue. At least three people were shot, according to preliminary reports. Dearborn police confirmed the incident and classified it as an active scene, urging the public to stay clear of the area while officers secured the mall and investigators worked the scene.
Henry Ford Medical Center’s Fairlane location was placed on lockdown as a precaution, though authorities had not released any additional information about the victims as of Friday evening. No suspect description or motive had been made public, and it remained unclear whether anyone was in custody.
A witness named Weston Fantroy told a local news outlet he was inside the mall buying a birthday gift for his daughter when he heard what sounded like four or five gunshots and saw a commotion.
“We are asking residents and visitors to avoid the area while officers secure the scene and investigators conduct their work,” the Dearborn Police Department said in a public statement.
Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud echoed the warning. “Please stay clear of Fairlane Mall while police secure and investigate this incident,” he wrote in a statement posted to Facebook.
Fairlane Town Center is a major regional shopping destination in the Detroit suburb of Dearborn. The mall draws heavy foot traffic on holiday weekends. The July 3 shooting comes as police departments across the country are already on high alert for large public gatherings tied to the Fourth of July holiday.
