Juvenile injures self in shooting at Dayton Mall; no active threat

DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) — A shooting investigation is underway at the Dayton Mall.

Several police crews responded to the Dayton Mall on Miamisburg-Centerville Road after a shooting was reported at 3:08 p.m. Dispatchers say the initial call to respond was for an active shooter, but upon arrival, they discovered the incident to be an isolated event.

Various police cruisers and EMS vehicles from several jurisdictions were on scene when 2 NEWS arrived but crews began to disperse shortly after we arrived.

Miami Township Police Department reports on social media one individual was involved. Investigation is underway and there is no active threat to the public.

A Miami Township officer told 2 NEWS on scene that a juvenile was mishandling a firearm while inside of the mall near the Buckle storefront. The gun went off and struck the juvenile in the abdomen.

A 2 NEWS employee was shopping at the mall when the shooting occurred. She says she was located near the Kay Jewelers when she heard a loud bang. All storefronts began locking down in response to initial fears of an active shooter, but our employee says there was not a lot of panic as people quickly evacuated.

There appears to be no motive — this is an isolated incident, according to police. No one else was reportedly injured in the shooting.

Officers report the mall entered a brief lockdown upon initial response, before determining the shooting to be self-inflicted.

The juvenile fled the scene prior to police arrival. They are currently looking for him, with local hospital emergency rooms on alert for any walk-in gunshot victims.

The Dayton Mall locked down briefly but has since reopened.

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