Gunfire inside Edina's Southdale Center leads to brief lockdown

EDINA, Minn. – Shoppers and employees inside a Twin Cities mall were forced to shelter in place Monday afternoon after someone fired a handgun inside the complex.

Edina police say it happened at about 12:11 p.m. near the Hennepin County Service Center, which is located inside the mall.

Chief Todd Milburn says the shooter fired a single round into the ground before they ran out of a mall entrance near the center.

"Officers quickly determined that the suspect involved in this quickly fled the mall. And preliminary investigation revealed that … a lone individual was involved in the shooting inside of the mall, and that person had jumped into a waiting vehicle just outside of the mall," Milburn says.  

Police say the shooter was the only person who was hurt. It's believed he fired into the floor, injuring himself.

WCCO spoke with Edina resident Jen Gibson, who says she jumped when she heard the gunshot. She says it was a scary experience, especially with her grandchild by her side.

 "Terror. Sheer terror," Gibson said. "I was at the service center and I heard a big boom, and asked the lady if that was a gunshot. She said it sounded like somebody dropped something. It definitely was not something that was dropped. Looked to my right and I saw a man, looked to be a man in a coat with a hood up, dark clothes, running out the door."

Several law enforcement agencies responded to the mail in the shooting's aftermath, and police say a uniformed officer who was inside responded to the scene immediately after hearing the gunshot.

The mall was on lockdown for about 45 minutes, and it was lifted at about 1 p.m. The mall is back open for business while police continue to search for the gunman and the person who helped him get away.