Concord Mills reopening Thursday after officer-involved shooting

CONCORD, N.C. (WBTV) – Concord Mills is reopening Thursday morning after an officer-involved shooting forced the mall to close Wednesday afternoon.

A tweet stated that Concord Mills will open for normal operating hours starting Thursday at 11 a.m.

The Concord Police Department asked people to “please clear the area” after officers shot a suspect Wednesday afternoon. The mall closed as authorities investigated the shooting.

Police say they originally received a call that three men stole credits card from someone inside the mall. When officers arrived, they said they located the suspects outside and chased them back inside Concord Mills.

The suspects ran into a construction area inside the mall and one of the men began firing shots at officers, law enforcement said. After multiple commands to drop the weapon, two officers fired back and struck one of the suspects.

That person was transported to Atrium Main in critical condition, police said. The other two suspects were arrested outside of the mall.

The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation is now investigating and asks anyone who took a cellphone video to contact the SBI at (980) 781-3000 and provide that information.

The officers have not been identified. One has been with the Concord PD for two years. The other officer was in field training and had only been on the job for a few months.

“There’s a lot of investigation that will be done in the coming days and weeks by the SBI,” department officials said. “The Concord Police Department will be as transparent as the law allows us to be while also ensuring that we aren’t jeopardizing the SBI’s investigation.”

This isn’t the first time the mall has seen violence.

There was a shooting outside Concord Mills last summer by the AMC theaters. One person was hurt and one was arrested and charged.

Related: Police: Arrest made after argument leads to shooting outside Concord Mills mall

In late 2019, 13-year old Aveanna Propst was killed outside Dave & Busters at the mall while with her family. Two other innocent bystanders were hurt.

Related: Lawsuit filed against Concord Mills over death of 13-year-old caught in crossfire

Two teens were later arrested and charged with Propst’s murder.

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