SAN JOSE, Calif. (KGO) — A 17-year-old was arrested Monday for allegedly shooting three people on Black Friday at Valley Fair Mall, sending thousands fleeing and looking for cover, according to authorities.
Police say an apparent gang-related disturbance is what prompted the teen to pull out a gun and open fire – hitting his target and two innocent victims.
San Jose Police Department
On one of the busiest shopping nights of the year, a shooting, which Santa Clara County District Attorney Jeff Rosen called nothing short of a terrorist attack, sent thousands more into a panic.
Monday, San Jose Police Chief Paul Joseph said a 17-year-old suspect, already on probation for gun-related charges, had been arrested.
A 21-year-old woman pushing a baby in a stroller, with a familial relationship to the suspect, was also arrested after police say she helped the shooter leave the mall following the incident.
“He opened fire at his perceived rival in the middle of the mall with babies and bystanders all around him,” Chief Joseph said. “He fired multiple rounds, hitting his intended target, as well as a teenage girl and an adult woman who just happened to be passing by. Indiscriminate shots were fired across the mall breezeway, leaving three injured, but miraculously, no one (was killed.)”
It looked and felt like a normal day at Valley Fair Mall on Monday.
But there was a feeling of concern among shoppers, just days after a shooting on Black Friday.
“It makes me nervous, but I was just trying to return something and I just hoped that I could get in and out and return this item and leave – because I’m not much for shopping in malls,” Margaret Morris said.
RELATED: Valley Fair Mall reopens after Black Friday shooting; police say likely gang related
The incident happened outside of the Fresh Society store, steps away from the women’s Macy’s on the upper floor of the mall.
The temporary fix of the glass that was hit by gunfire was still in place.
Myrna Gonzales says her niece was working at the time of the shooting.
“She cried, she was scared,” Gonzales said. “You want to run there and protect her, you know? It’s scary – very, very.”
ABC7 News was there as San Jose police officers were making their rounds on Monday.
The mall reopened Saturday with enhanced security measures after the shooting.
INTERACTIVE: Take a look at the ABC7 Neighborhood Safety Tracker
It’s what helped make some shoppers feel safer and more confident that nothing would go wrong on Monday morning.
“I mean, it’s actually safer to be here after a shooting, that’s what I’m thinking,” Daniel Zhou said. “It’s shocking to me that it happened, but it doesn’t really influence if I should come here. Because it’s a nice mall, right?”
This is the second alleged gang-related violence to happen in this shopping district this year. A child was stabbed to death at Santana Row across the street from the mall on Valentine’s Day.
San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan is calling for changes to the justice system in the wake of the latest incident.
“I’m going to say what I said back in February, I’m afraid that if we don’t change the way our system holds young, repeat offenders accountable, we may be providing a perverse incentive for gangs to recruit children at younger and younger ages,” Mahan said.
The shooter and his accomplice will be formally arraigned later this week.
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