WILMINGTON – Ten calls made to New Hanover County 911 during Saturday’s shooting at Independence Mall indicated emotions were high as shoppers and employees who didn’t get out were hiding in storage rooms, bathrooms, and break rooms.
READ MORE: WPD investigates shooter at Independence Mall, no reported victims
Dispatchers took calls between 2:14 p.m. and 3 p.m., as terrified patrons and employees recounted hearing anywhere from one to three gunshots.
Wilmington Police Department officers responded to the incident around 2:15 p.m. on July 8, after being dispatched to an active shooter situation. Deputies from the New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office also responded.
Upon arrival, the officers determined it wasn’t an active shooter, rather an altercation that ended in fired shots between two people. According to the WPD, information came in from patrons and employees as they made their sweep of the building the shooter had already left the premises.
It took a little more than an hour to clear the mall.
“Understand that while these searches were being conducted there was no shooting, this enabled units to conduct a very methodical search,” WPD Public Information Officer Lt. Greg Willett said. “In an actual active shooter situation, where you have a person who is a predator and looking for victims, the primary mission of the search teams is to close with that shooter and neutralize the threat. In more simpler terms, stop the shooting by any means necessary.”
The first call came through at 2:14 p.m. from an employee at RM Jewelry, according to the 911 logs sent to Port City Daily. The caller described hearing one to two shots in the atrium and told the dispatcher other store owners had their gates down. Yet, she was unable to close the jewelry store’s in a timely manner.
During her 8-minute phone conversation, she said random people were walking through the mall despite the gunshots that went off and asked those hiding in the jewelry store to “stay down.” She told dispatch, upon being asked, she could not safely evacuate the building.
“People are walking around when they shouldn’t be,” she said in a trembling voice.
She relayed to the dispatcher that people in the mall were saying the suspect left. Still, 911 informed her “if you are found and unable to get away, be aggressive and be prepared to fight for your life — throw objects, yell and defend yourself.”
“Damn right,” the caller answered.
She later told the people huddled in the store: “I’ll protect you guys, I swear.”
A customer trapped inside Forever 21 might have had the only complete description of a suspect among the callers. The clothing store is located near the food court, the vicinity where the shooting occurred. The caller reported seeing a large Black male wearing a cowboy hat and a white T-shirt, holding “a very large revolver.”
“I don’t know where he is now,” the caller said.
During the 4-minute exchange with 911, he said he heard one shot fired before running into the store.
“He was holding the gun up, pointing it to the ceiling when I saw him,” the guy described, adding the suspect was heading toward the area where the Christmas tree is normally set up in the mall during holidays.
“You need to get a bunch of cops in here really fast,” he added.
When the dispatcher asked if the suspect was wearing body armor, the caller iterated he was sporting a T-shirt and had no hostages.
A cosmetology student from College of Wilmington, located in the mall, called in as well and said people were running out of the shopping center.
“I don’t have my keys, so I can’t get out,” she said through deep panting, confirming everyone was out of the school but she didn’t see the suspect.
“But it was a pretty loud bang,” she said of the gunshot.
Dispatch took another call from a frantic woman, one of a dozen people locked inside a bathroom at the back of Hot Topic, located also in the vicinity of the food court. More people were in the storage area as well, she said, totaling roughly 20 people hiding out in the shop overall. Scared customers, including children, could be heard in the background crying or consoling others.
“I need everyone there to be as quiet as possible,” the 911 dispatcher told the lady, who also had begun crying.
Despite hearing just one shot, the caller said it was loud enough to send customers fleeing to safety. “It had to be a 9-millimeter or above,” she said, “maybe an AR.”
Another person could be heard in the background, who said he saw a glimpse of a person who might have been a shooter. He surmised the suspect left the food court through Dillard’s and exited the mall but also said he didn’t get a good look.
A group of seven women barricaded themselves in the Belk break room after being told a shooter was in the mall.
“I’m really anxious right now, I’m sorry,” she told the dispatcher, who informed them to sit with their backs against the wall beside the door until responders arrived.
The dispatcher said emergency personnel were clearing the mall; the call was taken around 2:19 p.m.
Two guys who had been in Dick’s Sporting Goods called in and said they heard multiple shots from what sounded like outside of the food court.
“We heard a loud bang and then some residual smaller bangs,” one guy stated. “And then everyone started running from that area.”
Port City Daily asked if WPD found evidence outside, to which it would not confirm due to the investigation being ongoing.
None of the callers identified victims had been shot or anyone was hurt.
WPD confirmed Tuesday it is reviewing the 911 calls. However, it could not release any suspect information by press. No one has been apprehended and no victims have been verified.
“I would say investigative-wise, 911 calls are a piece of the investigative puzzle, just like witness statements, or any possible surveillance footage or cell phone video, etc.,” Willett said.
After determining the shooting wasn’t active, WPD said it was the result of an altercation involving individuals who knew each other. One shot was fired inside, according to police, who recovered a shell casing at the food court.
The department is unsure whether the fight that led to the shooting was gang-related, but Willett said it is a possibility.
“That is something that is being looked into as part of the investigation,” he said.
Willett reminded the public that malls, just like beaches, parks and all other public places, are safe, and people should not live in fear because of one incident.
“This case was where a dispute occurred and someone made the choice to pull out a gun and fire it,” he said. “The incident just happened to have occurred at the shopping mall.”
However, he also asked for people to remain alert, exercise common sense and create an emergency plan.
“I would tell people that, unfortunately, in an imperfect world, bad things can happen anywhere,” Willett said. “If parents and their children go to separate stores or locations, it is very important for parents to discuss with their children what to do if something like this happens and they get separated.”
Wilmington Police Department suggests anyone who has information about the incident call 910-343-3600, send an anonymous message to 847411 using keyword “WPDNC,” or use the Tip411 app.
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