Monroeville Mall shooting
| Monroeville Mall shooting | |
|---|---|
 Monroeville Mall | |
| Location |
200 Mall Circle Drive Monroeville, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Coordinates | 40°25′47.12″N 79°47′42.60″W / 40.4297556°N 79.7951667°WCoordinates: 40°25′47.12″N 79°47′42.60″W / 40.4297556°N 79.7951667°W |
| Date |
February 7, 2015 7:30 p.m. (EST) |
Attack type | Shooting |
| Weapons | Semiautomatic handgun |
| Deaths | 0 |
Non-fatal injuries | 3 |
Suspected perpetrator | Tarod Thornhill |
The Monroeville Mall shooting was a targeted shooting that occurred on February 7, 2015, at the Monroeville Mall in Monroeville, Pennsylvania, 10 miles east of Pittsburgh. Two men and one woman were the shooting victims, two of which sustained critical injuries. One of the men was the intended target in the shooting, while the woman and the other man were bystanders. Victims were sent to nearby Forbes Hospital.
Details
The gunman, 17-year-old Tarod Thornhill, opened fire with a semiautomatic handgun in the men's department on the lower level of Macy's department store about 7:30 p.m., striking his intended target 20-year-old Davon Jones, who was critically injured, in addition to bystanders Thomas and Mary Singleton, 48 and 47. According to Monroeville police, Thornhill was seen on surveillance video approaching Jones with a gun to his side. Thornhill then pointed his gun at Jones, as the Singletons walked in between them with their son, and began firing shots. [1]
Immediately, chaos erupted as hundreds of shoppers were sent fleeing out of the mall, but many remained inside and dashed to cover. Additionally, the Mister Rogers' Neighborhood play area, filled with children, was less than 30 feet away from the shooting. One of the witnesses happened to be Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Terrelle Pryor. Pryor, a native of Jeannette, Pennsylvania, shared his experience on Twitter regarding the shooting, mentioning that he "just saw 2 ppl get shot. They are letting guns go in there." and that "10 more shots went off and was getting closer to me." [2] The mall subsequently went on lockdown. Police went store to store to evacuate the mall, which closed for the night.
Thornhill fled the scene, and was arrested several hours later at his home in Brackenridge, Pennsylvania. The criminal complaint says police were able to identify Thornhill partially due to a photo on Instagram. They say he posted the photo of himself about four hours before the shooting, wearing the same clothing seen on surveillance footage.
Just six weeks prior, a massive brawl took place at the mall, involving over 1,000 black teenagers. Following the incident, police presence was increased throughout the mall. Additional measures were taken following the shooting, with the mall instituting a youth escort policy, requiring all youths 18 and under to be escorted by a parent or guardian 21+ on Fridays and Saturdays from 6 p.m. to close.
Victims
Three people were injured in the shooting. Targeted victim Davon Jones, 20 years of age, was critically injured, in addition to bystanders Thomas and Mary Singleton, 48 and 47 years of age. Jones suffered gunshot wounds to his left flank, pubic region and left buttock. Thomas Singleton was shot in the back of his left leg, severing his femoral artery. Mary Singleton was shot in her left shoulder.[2] The Singletons filed a lawsuit against the mall and Macy's.[3]
References
- ↑ "New security measures implemented at Monroeville Mall...". Wpxi.com. 2015-02-09. Retrieved 2016-01-07.
- ↑ "Couple wounded in shooting at Monroeville Mall files lawsuit". WPXI. 2015-10-16. Retrieved 2016-05-14.