Chaotic scene at CrossIron Mills mall following targeted shooting, shooter remains at large

A shooter remains at large as Mounties continue to investigate Monday evening's targeted shooting at CrossIron Mills mall, north of Calgary, that left one man injured

RCMP received reports of shots fired at the mall, in Rocky View County, shortly after 7 p.m. and classified the scene as "Shelter in Place" while officers cleared the mall store-by-store.

EMS officials confirm one adult male was transported to the Foothills Medical Centre with a serious injury, but was otherwise stable and in non-life threatening condition. 

RCMP tweeted that the incident was resolved around 9:30 p.m. Monday evening. There were no reports of any other injuries.

Several people were inside the shopping centre at the time with witnesses describing the situation as extremely chaotic and traumatic. 

Kendall Bereshko was about to enter the mall last night when he heard what sounded like gun fire. 

"I wasn't completely paying attention, I was looking at my phone, and then I just suddenly heard all this screaming and saw a massive amount of people, several dozen, running out of the mall near Starbucks and Milestones," said Bereshko. "Then I panicked and got into my vehicle as well and just sort of followed the parade out of here. I thought I heard gun shots."

The incident prompted a hefty response from police including nearly the entire Airdrie RCMP detachment, the Calgary Police Service tactical Unit and several other emergency responders. 

Cpl. Gina Slaney with the Airdrie RCMP says it was a team effort from all emergency crews during a challenging response.

"Because of the size of the mall and how many people were in the mall, it made it a little bit difficult," explained Slaney. "At first it was a little chaotic however once we put that ‘secure in place’ in process, things started to settle down."

RCMP updated the investigation on social media shortly after 10 p.m. saying that they were still clearing people from the mall and were still searching for a suspect.

Police say the male suspect had a slender build, was dressed fully in black and was wearing a baseball cap and hood.

The suspect fled the scene with an accomplice in a black, 2019 Dodge Ram, four-door truck.

CrossIron Mills reopened Tuesday and is operating on regular business hours (10 a.m. - 9 p.m.).

Anyone affected by the shooting who may be feeling anxious or scared is advised to call the 24/7 Distress Centre Calgary for help at 403-266-4357.

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  Emergency vehicles outside of a CrossIron Mills entrance during the Sep. 16, 2019 response to a shooting

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  Police outside CrossIron Millis on Monday, September 16 during the shooting investigation.