Suspect Arrested In South Shore Plaza Shooting
BRAINTREE (CBS) – Police arrested a suspect allegedly involved in a gang-related shooting inside South Shore Plaza Friday night.
Michael Spence, 23, was arrested early Saturday morning in Quincy after he was identified using surveillance footage and other resources.
Shots were fired inside Macy's just before 7 p.m. Friday night. Shell casings and a gun were recovered in the store.
Police said a fight between two people escalated into a shooting before both suspects fled the scene. The incident appears to have been gang-related.
That the shooting does not seem to be random was a consolation for some shoppers.
"It seems like he might have had a specific target. It wasn't just one of those terrorist-like things where everyone is (a target),"John Harrington said. "In that way it makes you actually less nervous."
The mall was placed on lockdown and by 10 p.m. all employees and shoppers had been escorted from the building.
Spence is being charged with unlawful possession of a firearm, unlawful possession of ammunition, and discharging a firearm within 500 feet of a building.
Police said the investigation remains "open and ongoing."
Spence is believed to have known the second person, who has not been identified.
No injuries were reported in the incident.
South Shore Plaza will reopen as scheduled on Saturday at 10 a.m.
