South Shore Plaza Shooting in Braintree (Videos)
South Shore Plaza Shooting in Braintree: There was a shooting at South Shore Plaza where a man was brutally gunned down. The issue happened on Saturday afternoon, January 22, 2022.
The Braintree Police department was called on shortly after the ordeal took place. They tweeted that people inside the shopping plaza should come out.
They will be led outside of the mall by officers.
“IF YOU ARE SHELTERING IN PLACE IN A STORE, IT IS SAFE TO COME OUT. OFFICERS WILL DIRECT YOU OUTSIDE. THE MALL IS NOW CLOSED.”, they tweeted.
IF YOU ARE SHELTERING IN PLACE IN A STORE, IT IS SAFE TO COME OUT. OFFICERS WILL DIRECT YOU OUTSIDE. THE MALL IS NOW CLOSED.
— Braintree Police Department (@BraintreePolice) January 22, 2022
WCVB reports that Chief Timothy Cohoon, who is the Braintree police Deputy said the South Shore Plaza did go into lockdown. The mall has been evacuated and the lockdown has been lifted, but the mall will remain closed for the remainder of Saturday night.
“It looks like a targeted event. It doesn't appear to be random at all, and at this time, we don't believe there's any further danger to the surrounding areas,” Cohoon said.
Reports from shoppers about gunfire near the Forever 21 store started surfacing shortly after 3 p.m. Saturday.
Breaking: Kung Fu tea workers describe scene of a shooting at south shore plaza. Shooting is thought to have taken place at Forever 21 pic.twitter.com/yJP0pQFxyA
— Robin Chan (@RChan_mariner) January 22, 2022
“We heard the screams and we heard the trampling of feet. It was like a mass running of kids and adults, and people grabbing everyone that they could, dropping their bags and running in front of my store, which is all glass fronts,” a woman who works at South Shore Plaza told NewsCenter 5's Peter Eliopoulos.
A spokesperson for the Massachusetts State Police said the shooting victim, a male, was transported to a Boston hospital with life-threatening injuries. Cohoon said the victim is in grave condition, but did not provide any further information.
The suspect is not in custody at this time, according to the state police spokesperson. Cohoon said the suspect likely left the mall immediately after the shooting.
“This is unacceptable and we will be working directly with the South Shore Plaza and Simon Properties to come up with solutions to these problems,” said Braintree Mayor Charles Kokoros. “It's a place that people should be able to go and shop safely, and we should not have gunshots being fired while people are out shopping like we did this afternoon.”
Watch videos from the South Shore Plaza Shooting in Braintree below:
Breaking: Police are responding to a shooting at South Shore Plaza in Braintree, Massachusetts. pic.twitter.com/Hro77TGutg
— PM Breaking News (@PMBreakingNews) January 22, 2022
BREAKING – RAW VIDEO, LANGUAGE WARNING: Police responding to a confirmed shooting at South Shore Plaza in #Braintree Massachusetts. People evacuating. No word on if anyone is in custody. #wcvb pic.twitter.com/7dIFaKnrrW
— Peter Eliopoulos (@petereliopoulos) January 22, 2022
