Two people dead and a third injured in shooting at Michigan shopping mall | Michigan

Two people were killed and a third injured in a shooting between two groups of teenagers at a mall in Dearborn, Michigan, on what is typically the most violent weekend of the year in the United States, police said.

The shooting occurred as the United States began celebrating the Fourth of July, a holiday weekend that has historically seen higher rates of gun violence across the country. The Gun Violence Archive reports there were more than 500 shootings during Independence Day weekend in 2024.

Dearborn Police Chief Issa Shahin said Friday’s shooting at Fairlane Town Center left mall shoppers confused, including a man who was hit by a vehicle outside the mall while trying to escape.

He said people believed to be connected to the fight were questioned at the police station, but no one was immediately detained.

Şahin said that the discussion was not a random act, the two groups knew each other and after they came into contact in the shopping center, a fight started that turned into a gunfight. He said members of both groups had handguns.

One of the victims died at Fairlane Town Center and the other died at a nearby hospital. Details of the third person shot were not disclosed.

While the mall was evacuated after the conflict, police planned to keep the mall closed during the investigation.

In a video shared on social media, people are seen running away from the shopping center after gunshots were heard.

Fairlane Town Center has more than 125 shops and restaurants, according to its website.

Dearborn is a Detroit suburb with a population of more than 100,000, about nine miles west of Detroit.

Lt. Tyhrann Howard, Michigan State Police Specialist, said the agency was assisting with the investigation and referred questions to Dearborn police.

A person who answered the phone at the mall security phone number declined to comment.

Associated Press contributed reporting