23-year-old man shot inside Marcus Cinema in Oakdale, suspect flees
OAKDALE, Minn. -- Police in Oakdale are investigating after a 23-year-old Hugo man was shot inside Marcus Cinema in Oakdale Tuesday evening.
According to police, officers were dispatched to the theater, located on 5677 Hadley Ave. N., on the report of a shooting. When they arrived, the victim was found in theater 17 with suspected gunshot wounds.
The suspected shooter had reportedly fled the theater prior to their arrival and has not yet been apprehended, police said. Police do not believe this to be a random act.
The victim was taken to Regions Hospital in St. Paul where he required surgery. Police say remains hospitalized and is expected to recover.
Those inside the theatre at the time of the shooting say the ensuing scene was chaotic.
"All of the sudden, police officers shout to get out, there was probably three at the door," said Angie Wright, who was seeing a movie at an adjacent theater. "There was a little bit of chaos of, is this real, is this really happening? Everyone moved outside to a completely chaos situation where they were searching in cars and trying to find who the shooter was."
Others say the panic set in when loved ones called to relay the news of the shooting.
"I think it's just probably every parent's worst nightmare, really," said Chris Meads, whose daughter was at the movies at the time of the shooting. Meads says he and his wife got a call shortly after.
"It's the idea that you've got your daughter sitting a movie theatre, and literally one theatre over from them, you've got someone bleeding from a gunshot wound to the chest," he said. "It's just the idea that you're that
close to something. You start to think about all the other shootings that have occurred, and you start to think about how it could have been something just as significant. "
"You've seen a lot of episodes or reenactments of shootings, like in the Colorado theatre a few years back. That's what pops into your head right away, like, is this my time?" Wright said.
The movie theater says it will remain closed during the investigation. There were no other injuries.
Anyone with information is asked to call Oakdale police via Washington County Dispatch at 651-439-9381.