Shooting in Oakridge Mall in San Jose
SAN JOSE, Calif. (KION-TV) An hour after reporting one person being shot at the Westfield Oakridge Mall on Monday, San Jose Police said their initial report was unsubstantiated. Four hours after issuing a shelter-in-place order, San Jose Polilce said the mall was "all clear" and instructed mall employees to return to their stores.
8/ Clarifying: initial updates of a victim in the mall that was shot have not been substantiated. We are in the process of clearing the mall, both for a suspect and victim. Again, no active shooter, however the scene is not secure yet.
— San José Police Media Relations (@SJPD_PIO) December 21, 2021
In a press released issued Tuesday morning, police said evidence of a shooting was located near the reported scene but they did not locate a shooting victim even though more than one caller reported that a person had been shot.
Initial reports of the shooting came in at around 5:48 p.m about an altercation that ended in gunfire near Forever 21 store, according to police.
Within minutes, police entered the shopping center while California Highway Patrol and Santa Clara County Sheriff officers secured the entrance while officers went into each store to escort shoppers and employees safety, police said.
Video showed a massive police response including a SWAT team at the mall with officers surrounding the area. San Jose Fire units and ambulances were also seen in the mall parking lot.
Police completed the search around 10 p.m., but didn't specify whether a suspect or victim had been found and it's unclear what the altercation was about, what gun was used, or how many shots were fired.
According to CBS Bay Area station, KPIX people on social media reported there was a movie screenings happening at the mall movie theater during the shooting and the films were stopped and people were asked to leave.
This is a developing story
This story was updated at 11 a.m. to include information released by San Jose Police Department in a press release.