No injuries reported following shooting incident at Empire Mall

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Dakota News Now) – On Friday night, a heavy police presence could be seen outside the Empire Mall.

Update: Sioux Falls Police Chief Jon Thum spoke to the media and said that on Friday evening, there were shots that were fired inside the Empire Mall.

The first calls started coming in at around 7:30 p.m. that two or three shots were fired outside of Zumiez in the mall.

Those inside the mall were ordered to shelter in place.

Shell casings were recovered by police, who have conducted an initial search.

The SWAT team is now conducting an intensive search inside the mall throughout the evening.

The suspect was described as a juvenile male between 13 and 17 years old.

No injuries were reported and an investigation is underway.

Chief Thum said there is currently no threat to the public and urged parents to talk to their children who may have been at the mall on Friday about if they saw anything or knew anything that had happened.

Chief Thum commended the Empire Mall staff for their handling of the situation.

“Information was filtering in as we were arriving that people were sheltering in place, locking down their stores. That is something we trained. The mall is a testament to their training and preparation. Immediately they went into procedures to lock their stores down and protect their customers,” Chief Thum said.

Previously: According to the Sioux Falls police call log, there were reports of an active shooter and weapons violation in the area around 7:30 p.m.

Sioux Falls Police Chief Jon Thum is expected to make a statement regarding the incident at 9:15 p.m.

Details are limited at this time, stay with Dakota News Now for updates on this breaking news.

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