19-year-old killed in shooting at Mall of America identified as John Tae

On Friday, a shooting took place at the Mall of America, prompting shoppers at the nation’s largest shopping center to run for cover just before the holiday weekend, according to the authorities. The shooting resulted in the death of a teenager, and the mall was immediately placed under lockdown.

According to Bloomington Police Chief Booker Hodges, the deceased individual John Tae who was 19 years old. During the shooting that took place at the Nordstrom branch in the shopping mall, a bullet apparently touched the jacket of a bystander.

According to the chief, it appeared that there was some kind of fight between two groups, and at one point, someone brought out a gun and shot the victim many times. The whole thing took up approximately a minute and a half of my time.

Hodges pleaded with the gunman and the other participants in the brawl to hand themselves over to the authorities.

“We are going to capture you, we are going to lock you up, and you are going to get an orange jumpsuit,” he warned. “We are not going to let you get away with this.” “It’s only a matter of time before it takes place,” someone said.

The New York Giants believe multiple players were inside the Mall of America during a deadly shooting Friday night at the nation’s largest shopping center. A 19-year-old man was killed during the shooting, which sent the mall into a lockdown, according to police in Bloomington, Minnesota. Pat Hanlon, the Giants’ executive vice president of communications, told The Associated Press that the team was staying at a hotel adjacent to the mall and that some players were in the mall at the time of the shooting. “Everyone is back in the hotel and accounted for now,” Hanlon told the AP on Friday night.

In addition, he cautioned individuals against assisting the suspects in evading capture in any way.

“If somebody assists these individuals — I mean so much as buy them a Happy Meal, give them a ride,” the obviously agitated chief stated. “I mean so much as buy them a Happy Meal, give them a ride.” “You’re going to have to spend some time behind bars with them.”

According to Hodges, the shopping center is scheduled to reopen on Saturday, but the Nordstrom store will continue to be shuttered.

Since its opening in 1992, the mall has served both as a destination for tourists and a community hub for people to congregate. The possession of firearms is prohibited on the premises, yet customers have not been asked to go through metal detectors in most cases. In October, the shopping center said that it was conducting tests of a “guns detecting system” at one of its entrances.

Hodges said that the mall is always looking at its safety measures, which could include adding metal detectors. Still, the chief said, “I still don’t know what we can do to stop someone from pulling out a gun and shooting someone with no regard for human life.”

The identity of the individual who was slain has not been released by the police; however, Hodges stated that he and Bloomington Mayor Tim Busse spoke to the victim’s relatives on Friday night.

Hodges expressed his sympathy for the local family by saying, “I genuinely feel horrible for them.” “It’s the last week before Christmas, and now they have to bury one of their loved ones,” the speaker says.

The chief stated that mall video surveillance captured the disagreement between the two groups, which consisted of an estimated five to nine persons, escalating into a fistfight before one person pulled out a revolver and began firing shots.

Hodges is quoted as saying, “We don’t know why that happened or what happened.”

At approximately 7:50 p.m., one of the sixteen Bloomington police officers who were stationed at the mall on Friday heard gunshots in the area. The police did everything in his power to save the victim’s life, but he was ultimately unsuccessful.

After approximately an hour after being locked down, the shopping center tweeted that customers will be allowed to leave the building. Videos of individuals taking refuge in stores have been shared on social media, and an announcement made in the shopping center advised customers to take cover. After a loud blast is heard in some of the films, shoppers can be seen scurrying for safety.

FROM BPD: Bloomington Police and EMS are on scene of a reported shooting at the Mall Of America. MOA is on lockdown. Please stay out of the area. Information will be released as it becomes available. (8:17 p.m.)