LOS ANGELES, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) -- A shooting incident occurred on Sunday in Murray, a suburban town of Salt Lake City, leaving two injured and causing big panic on the scene, according to local police.
Murray police officer Kenny Bass said the incident was first reported at about 1:30 p.m. local time (2030GMT). A man and a woman, both in their early 20s, were shot outside of Fashion Place mall. The male victim is in critical condition while the woman was in serious condition.
When updating information to local press at about 3:30 p.m. local time (2230GMT), Bass said the police were hunting for three suspects involved, but had no idea about neither their identities nor what kind of arms they were carrying.
Bass said the only description that police were able to give of the shooters was that they were wearing dark pants and light-colored hoodies or sweatshirts. He said it could be a gang-related shooting.
Video clips and pictures posted online showed that the shooting created panic throughout the mall. Customers and employees were running or hiding in locked stores when they heard alarm, until they were eventually evacuated by police.
Escorted by policemen with rifles, hundreds of people walked out of the mall with their hands raised. They were gathered at a fast food restaurant nearby and waited for relatives or friends' pick them up there.
A twitter user named Jami Marsh wrote, "URGENT: I'm at Red Rock at Fashion Place. Emergency alarms going off. Cops running in with guns. Seeing news of an active shooter."
Allison Croghan, a host of local FOX 13 news channel posted a picture showing about 10 people hiding in a tiny place and tweeted "My best friend is in a back room at @CrateandBarrel right now as there are reports of an active shooter at #fashionplacemall. She just sent me this picture."
Abbigail Loveridge who works at the mall's Attic Salt store, told reporters that she heard the fire alarm and gunshots.
"People started running. Right in front of our store, I watched people get shot down," she said, "Women and children are getting trampled, especially little kids."
She said even though she had ran to safety this time, but "I am sick of in fear like this all the time."
