ATLANTA — Cobb County police were on the scene of a shooting reported Saturday afternoon at Cumberland Mall, authorities said. Police said Sunday two teens were arrested.
The shooting was the result of a verbal altercation that occurred between two people in the mall’s food court, said Cobb County police spokeswoman Officer Sarah O’Hara.
Update 12:41 p.m. EST Dec. 15: Police in Cobb County said they arrested two people in connection with the Saturday shooting at Cumberland Mall, WSB-TV reported.
The suspects were identified as Zaire Dhanoolal, 18, of Marietta, and Joweer Ponce, 19, also of Marietta.
Dhanoolal was charged with two counts of aggravated assault, WSB reported. Ponce was charged with reckless conduct and carrying a concealed weapon without a permit.
Both suspects were taken to the Cobb County Adult Detention Center.
BREAKING: 2 arrested in shooting at Cumberland Mall: https://t.co/wRKGL8f2hc pic.twitter.com/39yL9ra21V
— AJC (@ajc) December 15, 2019
Original report: In a tweet, police called the shooting an “isolated incident.”
“Yes, shots were fired. But not randomly,” police wrote. “Updated information indicates (the) involved parties know one another.”
A video posted to Twitter appears to show shoppers scrambling for cover in the food court as gunshots ring out.
“It was pure pandemonium,” shopper Adrian Matthews told WSB-TV at the scene. “People started running and knocked over pretty much the entire store. Candles, glass — It was crazy.”
Matthews told the news station shoppers took cover in a storage room at the back of Bath and Body Works until the shooting was over and they were allowed to leave.
Adrian Matthews was finishing up his Christmas shopping when he heard an argument followed by gunshots. pic.twitter.com/gKltEJBtat
— Michael Seiden (@SeidenWSBTV) December 14, 2019
The gunman fled the scene after the shooting, and officers are still searching for him. One gunshot victim was rushed to the hospital, but the person’s condition is unknown.
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