|
Official details of the bloodshed were sketchy, but Boise Police
Chief Ryan Lee told reporters at a briefing that police
responded to reports of a shooting at the Boise Towne Square
mall shortly before 2 p.m. local time.
Officers arriving on the scene "encountered an individual
matching the suspect's description," leading to an exchange of
gunfire with the assailant that left one officer injured and the
shooter arrested, the chief said.
"We believe there was only a single shooter involved, and there
is no ongoing threat to the community at large," Lee said.
No information about the suspect was given, nor were any of the
victims identified. The chief also declined to elaborate on
circumstances of the shooting, adding, "we really cannot at this
time speak to any motivation behind it."
One shopper, Joey Bernal, told the Idaho Statesman newspaper he
was in the shopping mall's food court when he heard five to
eight shots ring out, and that security personnel ushered him
from the mall entrance before police arrived.
Boise Towne Square is located on the western end Idaho's capital
and its most populous metropolitan area, a city of some 250,000
residents.
(Reporting by Shannon Stapleton in Boise; Additional reporting
and writing by Steve Gorman in Los Angeles; Editing by Shri
Navaratnam)
[© 2021 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2021 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.
|
|
