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Police: Two St. Patrick's Day shooting incidents at Beachwood Place Mall unrelated

Posted at 3:41 PM, Mar 17, 2018
and last updated 2018-03-21 16:30:34-04

UPDATED: With new information from Beachwood police.

The two shootings that happened on St. Patrick's Day at Beachwood Place Mall are unrelated, according to new information released by police.

The sound of shots fired sent shoppers in a panic around 2:30-3 p.m. on Saturday afternoon. The shooting happened near Saks Fifth Avenue. Police believe two to three shots were fired.

"It was waves of chaos, bedlam," said News 5's Frank Wiley, who was shopping with his young children when the shooting occurred. 

One man was taken into custody. Another man was taken to the hospital with a gunshot wound to the leg. Before going to the hospital, Beachwood police said an officer performed emergency measures that may have been life-saving. The man is in stable condition, and police say he was also placed in custody.

Police said the shooter apparently knew and intentionally shot the victim, and that the shooting was the result of an altercation.

"People were screaming, and screaming, 'Gun!' and people almost trampling each other up this escalator," said Janet Maistros.

Maistros said her knee-jerk reaction was to run, but she had to be careful with her little boy, James.

"The scariest thing is having a little boy who is fragile in the first place, he has brittle bones disease, and trying to run with a wheelchair and not tip it over and not have him trampled," Maistros said.

One handgun and a large amount of cash were recovered at the scene, police said. They say no charges will be filed until all evidence has been analyzed by BCI.

A short time after the first shooting, police say they responded to a second report of shots fired inside the mall. A 17-year-old girl was taken to the hospital where she was treated and released.

RELATED: Parma man arrested for accidentally firingguninside Beachwood mall on St. Patrick's Day

Authorities said the second incident involved a man entering the mall and accidentally discharging a gun. He was charged with inducing panic, a fourth-degree felony. Police said the two incidents were unrelated. The man was arrested on Tuesday.

Police ordered shoppers out of the mall and searched it on Saturday.

Maistros said police, mall security and mall staff did an excellent job handling the situation, especially with keeping people calm and safe. But she said she will think differently from now on and always think about safety plans, especially when her son is with her.

News 5's Frank Wiley talked about what happened inside the mall on Facebook Live minutes after the shooting.