Yesterday, a shooting incident at Novo Brazil-Otay Ranch Town Center in Chula Vista resulted in three people being injured. The police confirm that it was not an active shooter situation, and there is no ongoing threat to either the mall or the surrounding area. The case remains under investigation, according to an official statement by the Chula Vista Police Department (CVPD) on Twitter.
CVPD: NO ACTIVE SHOOTER - At 7:16 pm CVPD responded to reports of a shooting at the Novo Brazil-Otay Ranch Town Ctr. Officers found 3 victims with non-life threatening wounds. The suspect fled. Initial indications are that the shooting was not an active shooter and was not random
— Chula Vista Police Department (@ChulaVistaPD) October 29, 2023
A report by NBC San Diego revealed that the incident occurred at the Novo Brazil Brewing within the Otay Ranch Town Center. At their arrival to the scene, the officers discovered two victims suffering from non-lethal injuries, and later found out that another gunshot victim was admitted to the hospital. It's currently believed that the incident resulted from a conflict between two groups. A statement from CVPD Lt. James Petray at a news conference established, "We believe there was a single shooter and at least two people in that group, we have the suspect group which we think was approximately two individuals, potentially more."
The mall underwent a lockdown for nearly half an hour following the event until authorities confirmed that the suspect fled the area, posing no threat. No evidence of a hate crime and terrorism, connected to the shooting, has been found by the Chula Vista Police Department based on the current findings.
