Accidental discharge of gun creates moments of panic at Arden Fair Mall

SACRAMENTO - An accidental discharge of a gun inside the Arden Fair Mall Saturday night interrupted holiday shopping, creating moments of panic.

Stores locked their doors and employees hid inside until Sacramento police got there.

Dispatch got multiple calls from people who said they heard a gunshot. The Arden Fair Mall quickly emptied.

CBS13 spoke to the only person injured. At first, the 22-year-old thought it was from shattered glass.

"Something did hit me in the leg from the roof," said Dwayne Simmons. "It didn't sound like a gunshot to me."

He found out later that his leg was likely hit by shrapnel from the accidental discharge. The Sacramento Police Department then confirmed it.

    

Mall security helped him bandage up his leg, which was still bleeding a bit when we spoke to him. This was literally 5 minutes after. 
He told us the person whose gun accidentally went off paused for a second, kind of like he was shocked, and then ran away with everyone else. pic.twitter.com/1UA1CiN5Xb
— Madisen Keavy (@madisenkeavy) December 17, 2023

  
 

A mark on the ground on the second floor of the mall was at the center of a small scene sectioned off by police to investigate.

"My heart was racing when I was back there, but I'm more calm now that police are here," an employee said.

Mall shoppers ducked into stores just a few feet away from where that accidental gunshot rang out.  

"We brought in like 50 customers, we were all locked in in the back, we have a tiny room, we were all cramped in there," said Ian Cortes, a mall employee.

A mall spokesperson called the incident a "juvenile disruption," but Sacramento police corrected the statement.

Security cameras helped Sacramento police get a clearer idea of what happened and who might've brought a gun into the mall. At this time, no one has been arrested and a suspect is outstanding. 

Police say there was no directed shooting at anyone, this was an accidental discharge.

Some stores closed early.

Correction: Police received reports of gunshots being heard. This article has been updated. 

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• Sacramento