CORAL GABLES, Fla. — At least one person died Saturday after a shooting at an upscale shopping mall in South Florida, officials said.
Alvaro Zabaleta of the Miami-Dade Police Department said in an email to news organizations that detectives were called to the scene of a shooting along South Lejeune Road in Coral Gables.
More than a dozen police cars were seen outside the Shops at Merrick Park, an upscale shopping mall not far from the University of Miami. More than a dozen police cars were parked outside the outdoor mall, which was ringed with crime scene tape.
The mall appears to have been evacuated; patrons were gathered outside.
The Miami Herald and other news outlets reported the shooting was at a gym at the mall.
The newspaper said about 100 people were eating at Yard House's outdoor patio when the shooting began. General manager Tim Hartog said some patrons ran inside and hid under tables while others rushed out the back door before police ordered the restaurant and nearby shops on lockdown.
About an hour after the shooting, a few people still in workout attire were outside the gym. One person said she was waiting to see if she would be allowed back inside to retrieve her belongings.
"They said run, and I ran," said the woman, who declined to identify herself to an AP reporter.
Several police and fire rescue vehicles blocked off streets in the area.
The mall is usually bustling on a Saturday afternoon. There was no immediate word on when mall activities would return to normal.