A woman was sitting inside her car and ran for safety as bullets struck her vehicle during a shootout in the parking lot of a Delaware County, Pennsylvania, mall.
The incident began inside the Springfield Mall on Baltimore Pike in Springfield around 1 p.m. Saturday. Two groups of men began arguing and the altercation spilled outside into the front parking lot, police said. The groups then went to their vehicles and gunfire was exchanged.
Investigators believe there were two gunmen in all who opened fire. Four vehicles were struck by gunfire during the shootout. Three of the vehicles were empty but a woman was inside a fourth vehicle, police said. The woman crouched down, opened the driver’s door and ran toward the mall while her vehicle was struck twice by bullets. The woman was not hit however and no injuries were reported.
After the shooting, one suspect’s vehicle, a silver Nissan Altima, exited the mall onto Sproul Road, police said. Police also said the driver of one of the vehicles that was struck by gunfire, a silver Dodge Grand Caravan, is a person of interest in the incident. No arrests have been made. Police continue to investigate.
The mall was evacuated following the shooting and all stores were closed. They later reopened Sunday.
The mall is a popular destination in Delaware County and is typically packed with shoppers during the weekends. Several people on Facebook commented about their experience Saturday afternoon.
"I was there. Never have been so scared in my whole life. Many thanks to the entire Delaware County police force for keeping us safe," Marissa Colmaire wrote on Facebook.
This is not the first shooting at the suburban mall. In 1985, Sylvia Seegrist opened fire, killing two men and a 2-year-old child. Seven others were also injured during the rampage.
Georgiana Rankin of Secane, Pennsylvania, was pulling into the mall parking lot on the day of that deadly shooting.
"I was a senior in high school and worked at Baker Shoes when the Sylvia Seegrist shooting happened," she said. "People were shot, people were down and there was a person laying out front here."
Seegrist is serving three life sentences for the shooting.
