A shooting at the Westfield Valley Fair Mall in Santa Clara left three people injured and sent Black Friday shoppers seeking cover, police said.
Three people were taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, according to the San Jose Police Department. The injured included an adult man, an adult woman and a 16-year-old girl, said department spokesman Sgt. Jorge Garibay said in an interview with the media at the scene.
“This was not intended to target unsuspecting shoppers,” Garibay said. “Something happened between two individuals that led to the shooting.” Garibay said the two female victims are believed to be bystanders and “had nothing to do with the incident.”
He said the suspected shooter is believed to have fled before police arrived and no gun was found.
Police patrol the Westfield Valley Fair Mall after a shooting on Black Friday.
(Sean Kurasingham)
Shawn Kulasingham, 23, who was at the mall with his family, said he heard a loud bang around 5:35 p.m. and saw a “sea of people” running around the mall.
“It was a stampede,” he said by phone hours later. “The building was practically shaking.”
Kurasingham grabbed his sister and father and hid in the nearest Abercrombie & Fitch store, which looked safe. He said when people panicked, they hid behind clothes racks and cupboards.
They were in the store for about 20 minutes before staff asked them to leave in a single file with a police escort. Kurasingham said there was chaos in the parking lot and he forgot his Black Friday haul – a coat he bought – at the Abercrombie store.
“The fear is palpable. It’s really hard to have something like this happen during the holidays,” said Kulasingham, a former congressional staffer who returned home to visit family over Thanksgiving. He said the shooting at his hometown mall and the recent killing of a National Guard member in Washington, D.C., were overwhelming.
Bilal Zuberi and his wife posted about the incident on X after at least 20 customers were ushered into a Bloomingdale’s store room by store security. He said he heard no gunshots but said there was a general feeling of panic and an overhead broadcast told them the doors were locked and should remain in place.
Zuberi said they were trying not to panic and not talk about the shooting because they had children sheltering with them.
He said police issued an alert at around 7pm, allowing people to leave shops and shopping centres. He said traffic was backed up at all exits as hundreds of people tried to leave.
He responded in an X direct message to The Times: “Thanks to the police, first responders and mall staff who may have been frightened themselves but stepped up to guide people to safety and used the escalators so no one could cross the floors.”
Customers at Westfield Valley Mall evacuated after the shooting.
(Sean Kurasingham)
At 5:55 p.m., emergency dispatch called the police and fire departments to report that two to three people were injured and that the shooter was still at large. Dispatchers said that starting around 5:35 p.m., multiple calls detailed multiple people sheltering in place and reported bullet casings and blood at Macy’s.
The city said in a post at 6:31 p.m. that there was no active shooter.
Acting on radio dispatch messages, police arrived at the chaotic scene.
“We have a lot of people running across the street,” an emergency worker said over the radio. Customers fleeing the mall caused traffic jams as they crossed nearby streets.
“I pray for the victims and know our officers are doing everything they can to find those responsible and hold them accountable,” San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan said in the X post.
Garibay said the shooting occurred on the second floor of Macy’s. Other photos on the X showed shattered windows at the Bolero Bowling Alley near Macy’s.
Police said the shooting appeared to be an isolated incident and people should avoid the area.
