Brandon, Florida: Deputies Investigate Reported Shots Fired at Brandon Exchange, Say It Is Not an Active Shooter

Updated 23:44 UTC, November 11

The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office said at 6:44 p.m. Eastern Time that Brandon Exchange is closed and the mall is secure. Deputies remain on scene while the investigation continues. A reunification location has been set up at the Target at 459 Brandon Town Center Drive for people who were separated at the mall. The sheriff's office has still not released information about injuries, arrests or what led to the reported gunfire.

Deputies with the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office are investigating reports of shots fired at Brandon Exchange, a shopping mall in Brandon, Florida, on Wednesday evening, November 11. The sheriff's office said deputies were on scene at the mall and stressed that the incident is not an active shooter situation. It asked the community to stay away from the mall while the investigation continues.

The sheriff's office posted its first public statement at 6:02 p.m. Eastern Time. "We are on scene of reported shots fired at the Brandon Exchange. To be clear, this is not an active shooter," the agency said. "HCSO will provide more information as it becomes available. We ask the community to avoid the mall while our investigation continues."

What officials have not said

The sheriff's office has not released information about injuries, arrests or suspects, and it has not said what led to the reported gunfire. FOX 13 News and Tampa Bay 28, which both reported the sheriff's office statement on Wednesday evening, said the same details were still unknown as deputies worked at the scene.

Reports describing an active shooter at the shopping center circulated on social media on Wednesday evening. The sheriff's office statement was issued to correct that picture. Its wording covers reported shots fired, and it does not confirm that anyone was hit.

Brandon Exchange stands at 459 Brandon Town Center in Brandon, near Interstate 75 and State Road 60, east of Tampa. Anyone who was planning a trip to the mall on Wednesday evening should follow the sheriff's office request to stay away until deputies finish their work at the scene.

A fatal shooting at the same mall in July

Wednesday's investigation is the second time this year that deputies have responded to reported gunfire at Brandon Exchange. On July 10, 2026, the sheriff's 911 dispatch center took a call reporting a shooting inside Dick's House of Sport at the mall. Deputies arrived within minutes and found Jaden Law, 15, dead inside a fitting room. The medical examiner later ruled that Law died from a single gunshot wound and classified the death as a homicide.

On September 14, 2026, the State Attorney's Office approved a manslaughter charge in that case. The sheriff's office arrested Ahmad Webb, 16, and charged him with manslaughter with a weapon. Detectives said Webb and Law were among three juveniles who entered the store together and went into a fitting room, and that a dive team recovered the firearm used in the shooting from a retention pond south of the mall on July 11.

No official has connected Wednesday evening's reported gunfire to the July case. The sheriff's office said additional information about Wednesday's incident will be released as it becomes available, and this article will be updated in place when that information arrives.