Gun violence in shopping malls after Thanksgiving in America once again caused concern.
A total of seven people were injured in gun attacks in North Carolina and Washington states.
Police officials stated that a fight broke out between “two armed groups who knew each other” in a shopping center in the city of Durham, North Carolina, and many people were caught in the middle of the conflict in the incident where the guns were fired.
After the sound of gunfire was heard, hundreds of people flocked to the exit points in the shopping center, creating a stampede.
It is stated that only one person was taken into custody among those involved in the armed fight, and the others fled the scene. Authorities said an investigation has been launched into the incident.
A few hours before the Durham incident, a suspect threatened a police officer with a gun at Walmart, a retail chain in Kennewick, in western Washington state.
After the suspect, who was stopped by the police at the exit of the store on suspicion of stealing products from the store, pointed a gun at the police, the police fired his gun. It is stated that the suspect, who escaped from the police, was later caught in a house in the region and arrested.
No one was injured in the incident in Washington state, but Walmart was evacuated and closed after the worry among the shopping crowd.
The Friday after Thanksgiving is known as Black Friday. Special discounts are offered in many stores across the country on ‘Black Friday’ and the following weekend. In this period, when shopping centers were very busy, many incidents such as armed attacks, stampedes and clashes took place before.