BRAINTREE, Mass. — Braintree Police said the South Shore Plaza is expected to reopen at 12 p.m. - 6 p.m. Sunday after a shooting Saturday left a man with life-threatening injuries.
Police told Boston 25 News the shooting happened inside a store on the first floor of the mall around 3 p.m. Saturday.
Investigators said a suspect approached the victim, a 26-year-old Boston man, pulled out a gun before shooting him inside a store.
Police said there are always officers stationed inside the mall. They responded right away, and with the help of some off-duty firefighters, helped to keep the man alive until an ambulance arrived.
At last check, the victim was hospitalized and in grave condition.
Investigators said the suspect or suspects took off quickly after the shooting. As of Sunday morning, no arrests were made.
Police are asking anyone who was inside the mall between 3 – 3:30 p.m. Saturday and who saw or heard anything out of the ordinary to call them right away. Boston 25 News spoke to several people inside the mall at the time of the shooting.
“We just got running,” said witness Ken Chu. “We didn’t take our keys, our belongings, or anything.”
The mall was first placed on lockdown, and nearby neighborhoods were ordered to shelter in place. Police eventually evacuated the mall and closed it for the rest of the day.
This is the second time, in less than two years, a shooting happened at the South Shore Plaza. The last shooting was in July of 2020. A 15-year-old girl suffered non-life-threatening injuries.
Braintree Mayor Charles Kokoros said the town would be meeting with the mall’s owner, Simon Property Group, this week to discuss a plan to make the mall a safer space.
“This is unacceptable,” said Kokoros. “It’s very frustrating to have incidents like this occur while people are out shopping on a Saturday, and it has to stop.”
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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