Florida police say 1 dead, 2 injured in mall shooting

MELBOURNE, Fla. — A shooting Saturday morning at a mall in central Florida left two people dead and one other injured, police said.

After responding to reports around 9:30 a.m. of multiple shots fired inside the Melbourne Square Mall, police tweeted that the “shooter is contained” and that officers were clearing the mall store by store.

It wasn’t immediately clear whether the suspect was dead or injured, Cmdr. Vince Pryce said.

Police say the injured victim was hospitalized in stable condition with a gunshot wound and cooperating with investigators.

Authorities have not released the names of the suspects or the victims.

Melbourne Mayor Kathy Meehan told Florida Today (http://on.flatoday.com/1KSm3jr ) that police officials have told her that the shooting followed a domestic dispute between a woman who worked at the mall’s food court and her husband.

The mall was evacuated, and officials said it would remain closed while police continue to investigate.

Officers reported hearing gunshots as they arrived on scene, but no other threats were located after a search of the building store by store, police said.

Local television news broadcasts showed yellow police tape stretched across a mall entrance and the parking lot.

Donna Evans of Melbourne said she was in the food court when she heard gunfire about 20 feet to 25 feet away.

“We had just gotten our food to sit down by Starbucks and Chik-fil-A, and you just hear the ‘pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop,’ and you just drop everything and your body just makes you run,” Evans told Florida Today.