Three shoppers at Valley Fair Mall were reported injured late this afternoon in a Black Friday shooting at a crowded Valley Fair Mall in San Jose.
An indetermined number of shots had rung out around 5:30pm, sending terrified shoppers crouching for cover.
The mall was in a police-ordered lockdown for more than an hour, as dozens of police officers managed evacuations of shoppers at California’s biggest mall on the biggest shopping day of the year.
Police tend to an injured shopper at Valley Fair Mall, scene of a Black Friday shooting. Screen capture of East San Jose Times video posted on Facebook.
Despite assurances that there no longer was any danger, hundreds of shoppers ran from the large shopping mall towards parking lots on Stevens Creek Boulevard.
Four hours after the shooting, it could not be determined if police had any suspect or suspects in custody.
San Jose police reported the shooting on X at 5:40pm:
“Units are currently investigating a shooting at Valley Fair Mall in West San Jose. Two victims were located and have been transported to a local hospital with gunshot wounds.”
At 7pm. police reported on X that the shooting “appears to be an isolated incident and NOT an active shooter.”
“However, officers are evacuating and clearing the mall to confirm there is no ongoing threat to public safety,” the police post continued. “Please continue to avoid the area.”
Another post, at 8:40pm, by San Jose Police gave this updated report:
“In total, three victims were transported to local hospitals with injuries that have been determined to be non life threatening. Please continue to avoid the area. Traffic is severely impacted.”
An independent East Jose website, East San Jose Times, posted on Facebook at 7:28pm, that “there are people still inside the Valley Fair mall while the shooter is running around somewhere,” and interviewed a man who said he broke a large glass window at a bowling alley at the mall, allowing people to escape.
The website claimed, with no evidence, that the shooting was not an isolated incident, while a commenter who claimed to be a witness disputed this account.
Valley Fair is the largest mall, by area, in Northern California and has higher sales revenue than all other malls in California.
The fourteenth largest shopping mall in the United States is officially located on Stevens Creek Boulevard in the City of Santa Clara although all of its eastern half and some of its western half is physically located in the City of San Jose. The mall has 214 stores and 58 restaurants.