Shots ring out at mall, 1 shot www.privateofficer.com

TUSCALOOSA AL. Dec. 23, 2007 Hundreds of holiday shoppers went screaming and running for cover when a shot was fired at University Mall late Saturday night.

A 28-year-old woman allegedly pulled a handgun and shot Melissa Wilkins, 35, in the leg after the two got into a scuffle over a boyfriend in front of the Stitch Factory kiosk near the Victoria’s Secret and Foot Locker stores, said Tuscaloosa Police Chief Ken Swindle and several witnesses.Wilkins was taken to DCH Regional Medical Center. She was in stable condition late Saturday night.Swindle said no one else was shot and that Wilkins’ injuries did not appear to be life-threatening.The 28-year-old was taken into custody when an off-duty police officer working mall security detained her shortly after the incident, which happened around 9:15 p.m., said Capt. Greg Kosloff of the Tuscaloosa Police Department. The woman, whose name has not been released, had not been charged with a crime as of late Saturday night. Police were still investigating whether she acted in self-defense. No arrests had been made.When shoppers heard the shot, they went running into stores and out of the mall. Several store workers put their store gates down and herded people out back doors and into the parking lot. As of 10 p.m. Saturday night, the only section cordoned off was the wing where the shooting occurred.“I just heard it, and I turned around and took off,” said Andrew Kniphfer, who was in the mall at the time of the shooting. “It might be the absolute scariest thing I ever saw. By the time I realized I was in shock, I was already gone.”According to witness reports and Swindle, the two women had been fighting earlier Saturday evening when it escalated at the mall.“They were in a scuffle, pulling on each other like they were in a wrestling match,” said Tim Thompson, the publisher of The Tuscaloosa News, who was shopping with his daughter. “I told them to stop.”Wilkins, who was with her 19-year-old daughter — whom police did not identify — allegedly pulled a knife on the other woman, and the woman, in turn, pulled the handgun and fired, Swindle said. Swindle said the woman, who moved here from Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina, had a permit for the gun and told police that Wilkins was trying to pick a fight with her. Wilkins’ daughter sustained a scrape to the head during the altercation but was not taken to the hospital.Kosloff said both the gun and a knife were found at the scene. As of late Saturday night, the victim’s daughter and the shooter were being questioned by police.“There was a lot of screaming, a lot of blood and someone yelled, “The chick has a gun,’” Thompson said.Josh Yoder, a manager at The Buckle, said he didn’t hear anything but saw the chaos.“All I know is some people came running down my wing of the mall yelling shots had been fired,” he said. “Some people I knew ran into my store. We shut the gate after we realized there was some kind of incident. We didn’t come out of the store until we saw EMTs passing with a gurney.”Swindle asked that anyone who saw the incident or has any information to please call the Tuscaloosa Police Department at 349-2121.He also said that University Mall will be open today as scheduled at 8 a.m.

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