OCALA, FL (352today.com) – UPDATE, 6:04 p.m.: The Ocala Police Department (OPD) says one man is dead and a woman injured in the shooting at Paddock Mall.
Police say the call came in around 3:40 p.m. as an active shooter situation.
“It came over the dispatch radio as an active shooter situation and we responded with a heavy police presence and entered into the building to eliminate the threat,” said OPD in a Facebook post. “We discovered that there was no active shooter but that a shooting did occur in the mall.”
Police say the shooter is at large and they don’t believe he is at the mall.
They say they believe this shooting may have been a “targeted act of violence.”
They say they are conducting a secondary sweep of the mall.
They ask that anyone who was present during the shooting and has information to help detectives, to please call Ocala Crime Stoppers at 352-368-7867.
UPDATE, 5:47 p.m.: 352today’s Bill Cummings is on the scene at Paddock Mall and reports the situation at Paddock Mall is very active. There is a large police presence on the ground and a law enforcement helicopter flying overhead.
ORIGINAL, 4:30 p.m.: The Marion County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) confirms there has been a shooting at Paddock Mall in Ocala.
Lt. Paul Bloom says the Marion County SWAT team is on the scene along with the Ocala Police Department (OPD).
Bloom says the shooting happened around 4 p.m. and at least one person is dead. Meanwhile OPD confirms multiple people are also injured.
In a Facebook post, Ocala police say the shooter is believed to have fled.
MCSO says law enforcement are going through store by store right now searching to make sure there is no further threat.
Law enforcement say the mall is being evacuated at this time. They ask you to avoid the area.
This is a developing story. 352today is working to gather more information. Check back frequently for updates.