Hoover, Alabama: Man Shot in the Arm During Food Court Fight at Riverchase Galleria, Mall Reopens Same Day

HOOVER, Ala. - A fight at the food court of the Riverchase Galleria ended in gunfire late Friday morning, and one man was shot in the arm before the mall locked down and then reopened the same day.

Hoover police answered a shots fired call at the mall at about 11:57 a.m. on Friday, October 30. Officers found one man with a gunshot wound to the arm. He was taken to a hospital with injuries police described as not life threatening.

Police Chief Clay Morris said the man was treated and released from the hospital on Friday. Morris said no suspect information was available on Friday afternoon, and police had not released the victim's identity or a motive.

What police say happened

Investigators say the shooting grew out of an altercation at the food court, and the evidence indicates the suspect and the victim knew each other. Mayor Nick Derzis said the shooting was not a random act of violence and that the people involved had been in a confrontation before the gunfire.

Police said there was no active threat after the shooting. Parts of the mall near the food court stayed closed for about two hours while officers searched the building and gathered evidence. The mall reopened at 1:30 p.m., and the food court reopened at 3:30 p.m. By Friday evening the Galleria was fully open.

Shoppers inside described a fast lockdown. WIAT spoke with Malik Black, an assistant manager at the Foot Locker store inside the mall, and with Mallory Padget, who was at the Build-A-Bear Workshop for a little girl's birthday when the shooting happened.

Police asked anyone with information to contact Sgt. Jerry Edwards, or to call CrimeStoppers anonymously.

A mall with a history of gun violence

Friday's shooting was the first reported at the Galleria in more than five years, according to WBRC. The mall, in the Birmingham suburb of Hoover, bills itself as the largest enclosed shopping center in Alabama and draws shoppers from across the Birmingham metro area.

In November 2018, two people were shot during an altercation inside the mall, and a Hoover police officer fatally shot Emantic "E.J." Bradford Jr., who was 21. In July 2020, eight year old Royta Giles Jr. was killed and three other people were injured in a shootout near the food court, WIAT reported.

The investigation into Friday's shooting is continuing, and police said detectives are working to identify and arrest whoever fired the shot.