- A suspected shoplifter was shot by a police officer at a busy Arlington mall
- The suspect allegedly reached for a replica handgun when the office opened fire
- Footage captures by shoppers shows the immediate aftermath of the shooting
- The unidentified man was taken to an area hospital – his condition is unknown
A suspected shoplifter was shot by a police officer at a busy shopping mall after allegedly reaching for a replica handgun.
The male suspect was thought to have been stealing sunglasses at the mall in Arlington, Texas, when an officer opened fire, believing the replica gun to be real.
Police said the man fled from security and got on the escalator to the second floor, near the food court, the NYDaily reports.
This is the immediate aftermath after a suspected shoplifter was shot by a police offer at a busy shopping mall after allegedly reaching for a replica handgun
He pulled out what police said was later found to be an fake gun, pointing it at the police officer on the first floor.
Police spokesman Lt. Christopher Cook says the incident occurred on Sunday afternoon after a theft was reported at a store inside The Parks at Arlington mall.
The suspect tried to flee from security before going up an escalator toward the food court, police said.
Footage captures the immediate aftermath of the shooting as a police officer stands over the man on a halted escalator.
A separate video caught by a passerby was captioned with: ‘Dude got shot right in front of me, I’m done’.
Cook said the male suspect then pulled a replica handgun from his waistband and was shot by an officer who thought the weapon was real.
Footage captures the immediate aftermath of the shooting as a police officer stands over the man on a halted escalator
The unidentified suspect was taken to an area hospital. His condition is not yet known.
Police said no one else was injured. The mall closed early as police evacuated the remaining shoppers.
The investigation is ongoing.