A man has been arrested and charged in connection with a shooting that took place at Crabtree Valley Mall in Raleigh, according to area law enforcement. The Raleigh Police Department reported that on Saturday afternoon, officers responded to a scene where multiple shots were fired in the mall's parking deck. In the aftermath, they found "numerous shell casings" and discovered several vehicles had been struck by bullets, as was detailed by CBS17.
Authorities have identified the suspect as 24-year-old Jaquez Anthony Brown. Brown was apprehended and is now facing a felony charge for discharging a weapon into occupied property. He was also served with outstanding warrants for assault on a female and communicating threats from Durham. It seems the suspect attempted to quickly leave the area following the altercation, hitting another vehicle but continued to drive away, as covered by ABC11, though no injuries were reported related to this incident.
Witnesses described a chaotic scene, with several people spotted running from the mall premises immediately after the shots rang out. An employee of the mall, Kenneth Tireman, recounted the harrowing moments to ABC11: "We heard gunfire first. Sounded like about six to seven shots out of an automatic. I told everybody to get away from the windows went out to the street, looked heard two more shots. We got down, went back inside. Then we heard more gunshots. No police sirens or nothing yet. So we grabbed our AR's and came out here and ready to go to go to war."
Despite the severity of the situation, mall operations appeared largely unaffected, with shoppers inside remaining oblivious to the police activity unfolding outside. "It seemed pretty normal," a mallgoer, Alayjah Ottley, commented in a statement obtained by WRAL News. Meanwhile, the Raleigh Police Department has indicated that their investigation into the incident remains ongoing and additional arrests are possible. As a precaution, the mall had asked patrons to temporarily avoid the parking deck area, especially near Macy's, until the area was cleared by investigators.
With the ongoing police presence and investigation, the community and shoppers at Crabtree Valley Mall are reminded to be vigilant and report any suspicious activities they might witness. Individuals with any information related to this case are encouraged to come forward and assist in the ongoing investigation, as stated by the Raleigh Police Department.
