1 injured after shooting at Coconut Point Mall

According to the Lee County Sheriff’s Office, one person has been injured after a shooting at the Coconut Point Mall on Friday.

Shoppers said they heard loud pops and one man running and then tackled by law enforcement. The area was taped off for hours. A portion of the mall quickly became a crime scene.

LCSO provided an update on the incident: “During the course of the investigation, detectives have learned the injured male harassed patrons at Coconut Point Mall, which led to the altercation in the parking lot. The case will be worked with our partners at the State Attorney’s Office.”

Chris Michelle was shopping at the time of the shooting. He said that multiple shots were fired.

“It was a couple of them. It wasn’t just one single shot,” said Michelle, who was shopping at the time.

That’s when shopping at Coconut Point came to a halt.

“I could see panic. That was my first thought. What’s going on,” said Alex, who was also shopping at the time.

“You could see, there’s a security guard, and she’s ushering everybody, and she’s yelling, stay back, stay back,” said Michelle. “Get back, get back. And I’m like, what in the heck is going on? Then all of a sudden, you see somebody running down, and then you see two officers with their guns drawn, chasing behind the guy.”

Just outside the shops, Alex and Michelle quickly realized they were walking amongst a crime scene

“They got the guy down. They apprehended him,” said Michelle. “I hesitated about going into the store, but I finally walked up.”

Alex said that she saw a body near the Office Depot.

“When I was walking into the store, I had to walk through first responders to be able to get in,” said Alex. “And as I looked to my left, close to the Office Depot, there was a body on the floor and a bunch of EMS surrounding them.”

Behind the crime scene tape was a bookbag and clothes laying on the road.

“There is a weapon on the floor,” said Alex. “In between the white and black car where the officers still are.”

LCSO confirmed that this is a shooting investigation, but what happened has not been confirmed, although Michelle said he has an idea.

“Apparently, the guy that was there was a robber that was going around, and was robbing people going to their cars,” said Michelle. “The guy that he tried robbing was coming out of Total Wine and Spirits.”

“Then a citizen actually apprehended them and shot them,” said Alex. “I don’t know if they’re alive or dead.”

LCSO said the suspect was taken to the hospital for their injuries, and their condition is stable. This is still an active investigation