A heavy police presence descended on the parking lot of Hanes Mall in Winston-Salem on Saturday afternoon after officers responded to a reported shooting at 100 Hanes Mall Boulevard. The incident was reported around 3:40 p.m., and police described it as appearing to be an isolated event.
Officers were investigating a shooting that took place at 100 Hanes Mall Boulevard, according to FOX8 WGHP, which reported that the shooting reportedly happened around 3:40 p.m. on Saturday afternoon. Video taken at the mall showed a heavy police presence in the parking lot as officers worked the scene, the station reported.
What Police Have — and Haven't — Confirmed
Separately, WXII 12 reported that officers were called to the area around 3:40 p.m. and remained at the scene afterward. That station's account noted that police did not confirm whether anyone was injured or arrested, or whether the mall itself was placed on lockdown. As of Saturday evening, no further details about a suspect or what prompted the gunfire had been released publicly through either outlet's reporting.
Anyone with information about the shooting is being asked to contact the Winston-Salem Police Department's non-emergency line at (336) 773-7700, per the FOX8 report.
A Shopping Center With a Complicated History
Saturday's incident isn't the first time gunfire has disrupted business at the sprawling retail complex. The Winston-Salem Journal previously reported that police investigated after a gun was fired inside the Belk store at Hanes Mall, with officers saying no one was injured and no arrests had been made in that case. The newspaper also reported on a separate incident in which a shooting and assault took place inside the Target on Hanes Mall Boulevard, with more than two weeks passing before the paper noted that no criminal charges had been filed even though everyone involved had reportedly been identified.
Another earlier incident involved a 42-year-old Rural Hall man who was found shot outside the mall and taken to a hospital, according to a separate FOX8 report. The evidence reviewed does not establish a timeline connecting these past incidents or indicate whether shootings at the mall have become more frequent, and no broader pattern should be inferred from them.
For now, Saturday's shooting remains under investigation, with police maintaining it appears to be an isolated incident. Neither FOX8 nor WXII has reported whether charges have been filed or whether a suspect has been identified.
