Police respond to weapon incident inside Hamilton Place Mall
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) – This evening, a frightening incident took place at Hamilton Place Mall, sending crowds of people running out of the building.
Kristy Cranford says she was upstairs leaving Belk when chaos suddenly erupted.
“I was leaving Belk upstairs and walking to Dicks, as a matter of fact, and suddenly, a huge herd of people started running towards me, very frantic. I did not know what was going on, so I ran into Kay jewelers,” she said.
According to the Chattanooga Police Department, (CPD) a fight inside the mall led to a weapon being pulled out.
This caused shoppers to take cover as Hamilton Place Mall protocols went into effect.
Kristy says many people were unsure of what was happening inside.
“We stayed in there for an hour on lockdown per Hamilton Place Mall protocol and waited for everything to be cleared out. We did notice oftentimes there were people still milling around the mall. We didn’t know what that was about, but the police officers came to each store and cleared everyone before we were allowed to leave safely.”
She says she’s grateful for how officers and mall managers handled the situation.
“So big thank you to all of our officers that helped and for everyone that took care of the patrons of the mall.”
CPD says one person shot themselves when the weapon discharged.
Chattanooga City Councilman Cody Harvey says the community should be able to shop without fear.
“You know, it’s a crazy thought to think you can’t come out here and do some Christmas shopping and feel safe. That, to me, is completely unacceptable.”
Harvey says anyone coming to cause trouble should think twice.
“So, I have a message to anyone who wants to come out here and be violent, and to look for mischief, stay home. Otherwise, we’re going to put you in jail, and we’re going to put you in jail for a long time.”
He says a meeting is already scheduled with mall leadership and Chattanooga Police to address safety.
“We want everybody to feel safe when they come out here and do Christmas shopping, or year-round shopping, for that matter. To me, any of this violence and crime is completely unacceptable, and I’m going to do my part to do whatever I can to make sure that everybody feels safe when they come out here and do their shopping.”
Another witness, Lucious King, who is former military and works at the mall, says he immediately focused on helping families escape.
“I mean, that’s always been my ultimate goal, even when I joined in the military. I wanted to make sure everybody else is safe. So that’s immediately what went through my head.”
CPD conducted a final sweep to ensure everyone was safe.
The condition of the subject is unknown at this time.
We will bring you updates as more information becomes available.
