Dramatic New Video Shows Suspected Gunmen In Tanforan Mall Shooting
SAN BRUNO (CBS SF) -- The shooting at a shopping mall in San Bruno was apparently prompted by a dispute between two groups of people at the mall that turned into a shootout, according to police.
San Bruno police said Wednesday that video evidence of the shooting at the Shops at Tanforan is still being collected and reviewed to determine the identity of the suspects who are still at large.
Police released edited surveillance video Wednesday evening that showed new angles of the chaos during the shooting. The video shows both suspected shooters and even shows one of the victims down on the ground.
A clerk at another neighboring store, the MilkCow Ice Cream Shop, said she was frightened as the crowd ran one direction and then back the other.
"People were hiding, running away. I tried to close my gate and then asked the customers to come in," the clerk said.
The mall became a war zone, which is why Army Staff Sergeant Isaiah Locklear was able to keep his cool; he took off his shirt and used it to apply pressure to the abdominal gunshot wounds of one of the victims.
"I knew definitely that there was handguns being used. I heard a couple of shots go off. Me and Staff Sergeant Marl ran out of our office in the mall," he said.
"We are deeply concerned by the shooting that transpired yesterday, and are working hard to identify the perpetrators," police Cmdr. Geoff Caldwell said. "To be clear, our number one goal is to identify and arrest the persons responsible for the shooting."
The evidence indicated there were two groups in a dispute on the second floor of the mall Tuesday and one person from each group then began shooting, police said. Both shooters fled before police arrived, police said.
An officer on the ground floor food court first heard gunshots at 3:56 p.m. on the second floor of the Shops at Tanforan, located at 1150 El Camino Real.
The first officers to arrive found two teenage male victims (a 12-year-old and a 16-year-old), one with a gunshot wound to the abdomen and another with a gunshot wound to the leg. The officers began treating the victims and worked with firefighters to remove them from the mall, police said.
Brent Andrew, spokesman for Zuckerberg San Francisco General hospital, said both victims were in serious condition as of Wednesday morning. On Wednesday morning, police said the victims' conditions are not life threatening.
The San Bruno BART station, which has a connected entrance from the mall, was closed down after the shooting. Oakland and BART police began supporting the investigation after they received information that the suspects may have taken BART to the East Bay.
Rep. Jackie Speier, D-San Francisco/San Mateo, released a statement about the shooting. "I am relieved that nobody died and my heart goes out to the two
victims who are still hospitalized and to all the people who were traumatized by this senseless act of violence," Speier said.
Police said other information about the shooting was not being released in order to protect the integrity of the investigation; another update from police was expected withing 48-72 hours.
San Bruno police also said it collected personal property left behind by people during the evacuation of the mall, and was storing it at the police station. People who left items behind were asked to call the police station at (650) 616-7100 or come to the police station to pick up the property.
Anyone with any information related to this case was also urged to call San Bruno Police or by email sbpdtipline@sanbruno.ca.gov.
