Two teens are now facing charges after police say one of them opened fire inside the St Charles Towne Center in Waldorf, Maryland, on Sunday.
Gunfire sent shoppers ducking for cover at the mall at about 4 p.m.
The Charles County Sheriff's Office said Monday that two teens got in an argument with two adults inside a business on the mall's lower level.
A 16-year-old boy took out a gun as the fight continued in a common area of the mall, the sheriff's office said. One of the men the boy was arguing with tried to intervene, the sheriff's office said. But the suspect then pointed the gun at him and fired, missing the man and hitting a storefront window, authorities said.
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The teens ran off, but officers found them hiding behind a dumpster outside the mall. They also found a gun underneath the dumpster, and detectives later determined that a 17-year-old boy involved took the gun and hid it there, according to the sheriff's office.
Officers arrested and charged both teens as adults.
The 16-year-old suspect was charged with attempted murder, first-degree assault and other related charges, authorities said. The 17-year-old was charged with weapons violations.
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Detectives are still investigating how the 16-year-old boy got the gun.
The mall closed after the shooting, and there were no injuries reported.
Authorities are asking anyone with information to call 301-609-6499 or make an anonymous call to 1-866-411-TIPS.
Richardson said based on information they gathered from multiple witnesses, authorities were able to track down three suspects and detain them nearby. The sheriff's office also said deputies confiscated a gun from a suspect.
The shooting happened one day after eight people were killed and at least seven were injured in a mass shooting at an outdoor outlet mall in suburban Dallas, Texas, according to local police officials. The gunman in that attack was killed.
When Charles County Commissioner Amanda Stewart first learned about the shooting in Waldorf, she feared the worst.
"Not at home, not here," she said. "It really makes you pause for a second and really pray that everyone is going to be OK.”
