Three injured in Black Friday shooting at Valley Fair mall
SAN JOSE – A shooting Friday at Westfield Valley Fair sent three people to the hospital and hundreds of mall goers running for their lives, all on one of the busiest shopping days of the year.
The incident happened around 5:40 p.m. inside the shopping mall, which sits partly in Santa Clara and partly in San Jose, according to the San Jose Police Department.
The victims were taken to area hospitals, police said, adding that their injuries were not life-threatening.
“Please avoid the area while officers investigate and work to ensure everyone’s safety,” police said in a social media post.
In a follow-up post, police said the shooting appeared to be an isolated incident, and there was no active shooter.
“However,” police added, “officers are evacuating and clearing the mall to confirm there is no ongoing threat to public safety.”
No arrests were announced Friday, and police did not release a description of the suspect.
Social media posts from mall goers captured the chaos inside Valley Fair after shots were fired, with some patrons taking shelter where they could and others running for the exits.
In a post on X, Fiona Z said she was hiding in a storage room with her children.
“I can hear people screaming outside,” she said, adding in a follow-up post that “the gunshot sounded so close.”
Other posts included footage of officers running through an eerily empty mall with guns drawn.
Eduardo Barocio, 18, of Oakland, told this news organization he had just arrived at Valley Fair to do some Black Friday shopping when he heard what sounded like eight to 10 gunshots.
“At first, I didn’t think much of it,” Barocio said, but then everyone around him started to run.
“That’s when I realized it was real,” he said.
Barocio ran to a parking lot. He later saw two officers emerge from the mall with a man who appeared to have a chest wound.
“I just hope no one was injured too badly,” Barocio said.
Check back for updates.