Suspect in critical condition after being shot by police at North Carolina mall

“Some people who were right near the shooting were pretty freaked out,” said an unidentified witness

Police respond to an officer-involved shooting at the Concord Mills Mall in North Carolina on Wednesday (WCNC)

A suspect is in a critical condition in hospital after he was shot by police at a shopping mall in Concord, North Carolina.

Police were called to Concord Mills Mall just after midday after receiving a 911 call from a shopper whose credit cards had been stolen, Concord Police Department Chief Major Todd McGhee told a news briefing on Wednesday.

Responding officers identified three suspects based on a description given to them by the caller, and pursued them through the mall, Mr McGhee said.

When the suspects exited the mall and entered a nearby construction area, one of the suspects fired a shot at the officers, with the bullet hitting the ground near the officers, according to police.

The two officers fired back and struck one of the assailants, who was airlifted to hospital where he remains in a critical condition.

Mr McGhee said at Wednesday’s press briefing that the officers ordered the suspect to lower his weapon prior to opening fire.

Two other suspects are in custody, Mr McGhee added.

Concord Mills mall is currently closed until further notice. Please clear the area.

— Concord, NC Police (@ConcordNCPolice) August 31, 2022

Terrified shoppers hid in changing rooms as police exchanged fire with the suspect.

Witnesses told WCNC that they heard a single shot and then “out of nowhere, four to five shots rapidly”.

The witnesses took shelter in a fitting room for about 30 minutes, before police officers told them to leave immediately.

“Some people who were right near the shooting were pretty freaked out,” the unidentified witness told WCNC.

The mall remains closed, and police are expected to provide further information at a press briefing on Wednesday afternoon.

The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigations is involved in the investigation, as is standard with police shooting.

No charges have been laid against the suspects yet, police said.

Concord is about 30 miles northeast of Charlotte.