KATY, Texas — An investigation is underway after a shooting inside Katy Mills Mall prompted a major police presence in the area Monday evening.
The mall is located on Katy Mills Circle near the Katy Freeway and has more than 107 stores.
Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez initially said one person was shot near the mall, possibly in the parking lot, and both the shooter and the victim left the scene. In an update, Gonzalez said it appeared that the shooting occurred inside the mall.
There wasn’t an active shooter and Gonzalez called it an “isolated incident.” The two people involved left the scene, according to Gonzalez.
In a news conference, Katy Police Chief Bryon Woytek said two men entered the mall through Bass Pro Shops and once in a common area, shots were fired by one of those people.
Spent casings and live casings were found inside the mall. Woytek said no one was shot and the two men left the scene.
A pillar inside the mall and the glass window of Rack Room Shoes were destroyed by the bullets, according to Woytek.
Woytek said at this time, it doesn’t appear that there was any type of disturbance before shots were fired or this was a targeted attack.
“Our men and women were on-scene. They responded in less than a minute,” Woytek said. “We have a substation here. We have officers on location at all times. A shooting here is not common for us.”
Witness Alyin Pagan described the moments the gunshots went off while she was Christmas shopping for her family. She was feet away from where everything happened.
“As I’m walking to Earthbound the shots are right in front of my face at the store next to me,” she said. “I didn’t know what to do at the moment. I thought they were playing a prank but no it was real and it was scary.”
A Rack Room Shoes employee told KHOU 11 News he didn’t see any buildup or argument before the shooting occurred.
Chief Woytek said the charges the suspects will face are still being determined.
The incident is under investigation. The Katy Police Department, the Harris County Sheriff’s Office, Harris County Pct. 5 constable deputies and the Fort Bend County Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene.
Watch the full update officials gave at the scene: