At least 3 injured after gunman goes on rampage at Arizona mall, one suspect in custody
At least three people have been shot after a gunman, reportedly wielding an AR-15 style rifle at the time of the attack, opened fire at a mall outside Phoenix, Arizona. One suspect has been apprehended.
The incident unfolded about 7.25 p.m local time at the Westgate Entertainment District in Glendale, a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, some 9 miles northwest of Phoenix.
At least three people were shot, including one critically, ABC reported, citing local police. Witnesses, including Arizona State Sen. Martín Quezada, meanwhile, reported that there are “multiple victims” resulting from the incident.
Please stay out of the #Westgate area. Preliminary info from our dispatch is there were at least two persons struck by gunfire and one person is in custody. PIO is enroute to the scene. Media staging for now will be West of the Arena.
— Glendale Police (@GlendaleAZPD) May 21, 2020
While police so far have not released details on the shooter’s weapon of choice, Querzada, who shared his account of the incident on Twitter, reported that the individual was armed with an AR-15.
“I just witnessed an armed terrorist with an AR-15 shoot up Westgate. There are multiple victims.”
I saw 2 victims with my own eyes. Not sure how many others I saw the shooter. Being told not to say anything else about details ’til I speak to police. I’m ok. Lots of shaken up people.
— Sen. Martín Quezada (@SenQuezada29) May 21, 2020
Massive police presence has been reported at the scene, with videos showing dozens of police cars rushing to the mall.
Footage has surfaced on social media purporting to be filmed by the alleged gunman, identifying himself as Armando Junior Hernandez. The video consists of several edits, showing a cache of weapons, Hernandez’s driving to the site as well as the alleged moment of the shooting.
“My name is Armando Junior Hernandez and I’m going to be the shooter of Westgate, 2020. That’s to get back to mean society. Let’s get this done,” the man says casually in one of the clips.Another video shows him firing rounds into a dark alley.
The disturbing footage concludes with a interaction between the alleged gunman and one of his victims, who is seen lying on the ground in a parking lot after apparently being shot.
The woman can be heard pleading with the attacker as he suggests his motives, saying: “Society is bullsh*t. Society is f*cking sh*t.” RT cannot independently verify the authenticity of the footage.
Wow, I just watched the video the #Westgate shooter in Glendale, AZ posted on Snapchat, which I will not repost. He’s wearing a facemask and says he’s doing it to “get back to society.” He argues with a woman lying on the ground who says “you already got me dude!”. Creepy stuff.
— Bill Melugin (@BillFOXLA) May 21, 2020
@GlendaleAZPD hi there my name is hailli and I was sent an instagram video of a man who said he is the one who was going to go “shoot up” Westgate. I am not sure if you have seen the video but the username of the page this video is on is @bigswayy_prod. I hope this help
— Hailli Dorman (@haillidorman) May 21, 2020
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